


We're Immortals

by Myoneloveismusic



Series: Eternal [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Don't be deterred by the character death please, Established Relationship, I promise, Lots of Sex, M/M, Red Hood - Freeform, Suicide, There's going to be a sequel to this, Tim's a badass, crime boss Tim, genderfluid tim, pastel Tim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-05-23 02:54:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6102454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoneloveismusic/pseuds/Myoneloveismusic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Crime has managed to soar in Gotham, but it's not petty or sloppy crime, it's organized. Organized in a big way and Batman's never seen anything like it. Never seen criminals be and act so smart. There's someone behind it. Not someone new per se, but someone who's been watching, building in strength and slowly taking over the underworld in a way that wasn't even noticed until it was too late. Areas owned by other groups were taken right out from under their feet. And what's perfect is that no one suspects Tim. Perfect, smart, innocent, little, genderfluid, pastel Tim. But his reach is far further and far deeper than anyone could've suspected. After all, Tim isn't about to stop at a small operation when he has bigger plans in mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yesssss. So I got the idea for a genderfluid, pastel Tim crime boss AU and this is it. I'm really excited for this story and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. Also, please don't let the major character death deter you from reading because I promise that there's going to be a sequel where things will (hopefully) get all worked out. That's the plan anyway. 
> 
> BUT, enjoy the first chapter (I hope you do) and I love comments so if you let me know how I'm doing that's much appreciated. You can also hit me up on Tumblr as my-one-love-is-music and we can chat about literally anything because why not? I love talking to new people!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~MOLIM

The gentle thud of two glasses being set onto the low table broke the silence that hung over the private club. A drop of condensation crawled down the side of one, silently allowing gravity to determine its course. If only people were so pliant and easily influenced then maybe Tim might have an easier job, but he was nothing if not accepting of a challenge. His eyes moved from the glass towards the front of the room, taking in every detail as though he hadn’t been coming here and running business for years.

  
Tim was seated on a large, black leather couch. His position excluded from the other seating areas in order to offer privacy. He was currently waiting for Red Hood to bring a contact who will hopefully prove to be a profitable one. Tim was at the usual place where he welcomed new, not partners per se, more like handlers, if this were a spy organization, but Tim most certainly was not running a spy organization. It was so much bigger than that. Better, even and Tim _loved_ it.

  
The Golden Palace was aptly named, if a bit outlandish and extravagant for Tim’s tastes. The private club was dimly lit providing little reprieve from the dark interior. Most surfaces were black. The chairs and couches were of the finest leather. The countertops were a beautiful dark marble that almost seemed to be pulling everyone into it. He knew everyone envied that. Gold accented many of the pieces, but the most impressive features were the light fixtures. Elegant chandeliers and expertly crafted lamps oozing wealth and liquid gold.

  
The interior was designed well enough that it showed the amount of power and money those who did dealings inside had, but was in no way gaudy or overdone as to seem amateurish. Tim was most certainly not an amateur. He’d been doing his kind of work long enough to know that he’d earned the power that he held. After all, it wasn’t a walk in the park to become one of the most influential and intimidating figures in all of Gotham’s underworld and Tim had put in the work and had the intelligence and resources to run things the way he did.

  
The large dark brown oak doors at the front of the club swung open soundlessly. A small group of men, led by Red Hood, entered. The two men drawing up the rear shut the oak doors and took up positions in front of them to prevent any unwanted guests from intruding and disturbing what Tim was trying to accomplish. Hood and the contact worked their way through the tables towards Tim. Despite not being able to see Hood’s expression, Tim knew that his gaze was roving over his figure just as he was doing to the other man.

  
Hood, _Jason_ , was dressed in his usual attire when he went out into the field. The body army liberally covered his form, protecting all vital and necessary organs, but still managing to hug his form under his worn, brown leather jacket. Tim loved that leather jacket because it was oh-so-Jason. He was disappointed to see that Jason was only wearing jeans on his lower half, but they still clung to his form in a delicious and inviting way, especially with the gun holsters strapped around his thighs. Tim couldn’t wait to get his hands on those later.

  
As Jason approached him, he unfastened his signature red helmet, revealing the matching red domino beneath. The older man drank in Tim, draped across the couch he was occupying as though it was barely, and only barely, worthy enough of having Tim sit on it. Tim was clothed in a crisp white button-down (since he was using he/him pronouns today) underneath an oversized, pastel green sweater. You couldn’t tell because Tim was sitting, but Jason knew that it hung to about mid-thigh over his black skin-tight jeans that left almost nothing to the imagination, for which Jason both hated and was grateful for. Tim’s jeans were tucked snugly into his black combat boots and finally, bringing his gaze back up to Tim’s face where beautiful Pegasus blues were highlighted by the black-rimmed glasses perched on his face.

  
The two men paused in front of the low table before Tim, appropriately waiting for Tim to direct them. “Hood.” Tim said, acknowledging Jason and offering a plethora of unsaid promises. Jason nodded and moved to stand behind Tim.

  
“I’ll be back in a minute.” He murmured and dragged a hand across Tim’s shoulder blades while moved further back into the club.

  
Tim turned back to the other man. “Dean.” He gestured to the leather chair across from him. “Have a seat and we can get down to business.”

  
Dean ungraciously fell back into the offered chair and looked over Tim with a sneer, feeling comfortable now that Hood had left the room. Tim quirked an eyebrow at the reception, but remained silent waiting for the other man to talk as he knew he would. “So, you’re Red?”

  
“I believe that was a given considering I asked you here and sent my best man to come and…retrieve you.” Tim answered, eyes piercing his guest.

  
“There’s no way that you’re the one who’s been singlehandedly taking over Gotham’s underworld.”

  
“Oh?” Tim questioned icily. He narrowed his eyes knowing he was going to be judged based on his appearance.

  
“There’s no way anyone would take orders from someone like you. What sort of crime boss wears pastel colors and tight jeans?” He sneered, raking his eyes over Tim’s person once again. “No one in their right mind would take your orders or listen to you. Someone else here is obviously running the show. I bet it’s that Red Hood. He’s got the muscle and firepower on him. You’re probably nothing more than his bitch who provides adequate, heh, bedroom service.”

  
Tim held up a hand to inspect his fingernails. Maybe he’d paint them later and cover up and remnants of blood that this deal might produce. He sighed. “I seriously hoped that I’d be able to put you on a larger project than the ones you’ve been helping with recently, but…it seems that you’re too ignorant to handle such responsibility. Now that you’ve proved yourself to be an utter disappointment,” Tim said giving Dean a pointed look, “kindly remove yourself from my presence, or better yet Gotham. I never want to see your face again.”

  
Dean stared at him a moment before bursting out into laughter. “If you think you can get off by talking to me like that then you’ve got another thing coming. Ain’t no way I’m taking orders from you, little girl. I bet you like to take it up the ass, too. Maybe I will reconsider working for you. Do all the men here get to have a go at you in bed? That is, after Hood’s through with you for the night.”

  
Tim narrowed his eyes once again and spoke in a threateningly low tone, one he found very effective with the people who worked for him when they decided to screw things up. “Get out. You disgusting piece of trash. Congratulations, you no longer have any place to go in Gotham. No more land and certainly no more men, at least the useful ones anyway. Make your way to the nearest road out of the city before you end up in the bay.”

  
Dean spluttered. “Y-you can’t talk to me like that!”

  
Tim stood, intending to make his way from the room and the disgusting human being that was still inhabiting it. “How else am I to talk to someone so useless?”

  
“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Dean stood and flung the glass of water sitting in front of him in Tim’s face. The water quickly soaked through his clothes, making Tim’s sweater and button-down cling to him in an uncomfortable manner. His glasses were covered in water droplets as the excess dripped from the corners of the frames and off his chin. Tim looked surprised for a moment before his expression changed to one of complete fury. Upon seeing the change, Dean grimaced, somewhat realizing the grave mistake he’d just made.

  
“Hey, Red-“ Jason took that moment to walk back into the room to find a soaked Tim and flustered Dean. The latter becoming increasingly nervous at what he’d done, looking from the glass in his hand to Jason with a shocked expression on his face. “Dean-“ He growled, taking a step towards the smaller man.

  
“ _Hood_.” Jason’s head snapped to look at Tim who was still facing the other man. “I’ll take care of this.” It took a minute for Jason to understand just what Tim was going to do, but when he realized what the younger man meant, he smirked.

  
Jason turned to face Dean once again, his smile all teeth. “Nice knowing ya.” Jason crossed his arms and looked on with interest.

  
“You’re crazy. All of you are crazy.” Dean dropped the glass, causing it to shatter and gain the resemblance of a million diamonds. He began backing away from the scene as Tim removed his glasses. Dean glanced over his shoulder to judge the distance between him and the doors trying to calculate how long it would take to reach the exit. He was just turning back to face Tim when a fist slammed into his face, knocking him to the floor. Dean looked up, dazed, to find Tim standing over him.

  
“Now, I believe you said a few things pertaining to my status in this organization. Things that I’m about to prove so wrong.” Tim delivered a swift kick to Dean’s side, leaving the other man a coughing, spluttering mess. Tim knelt down and took up Dean’s hand. “I run this show. I don’t let just anybody touch me. I’m not a little girl. At least not today. And I’m no one’s bitch.” Tim punctuated each statement by breaking one of Dean’s fingers.

  
Dean clutched his hand to his chest, whimpering when Tim was done and tried to move away. “L-look can we talk about this.” He quickly got to his feet, slightly hunched from Tim’s kick, and backed up as Tim stalked after him.

  
“No, there’s been enough talking for one day.” Tim whipped out his leg, smashing Dean’s side with a roundhouse and followed that with three quick punches to the face. Dean’s lip split from the impact and his whole body was shaking with the effort to hold himself up.

  
“Please.” Dean pleaded.

  
Tim’s smile was wicked. “You don’t get as much power as I have by showing mercy.” Tim sent one last roundhouse to Dean’s head, effectively slamming the other man to the ground. Tim moved to stand over him. “Remember this encounter well, because if you don’t die or disappear, you won’t survive our next meeting.” Tim lifted his foot and with one last satisfying crunch, shattered Dean’s nose beneath the heel of his boot. Dean screamed underneath him as blood gushed out of his face.

  
Tim tutted. “Dean, Dean, Dean. You got my boot dirty. How disgusting.” Tim wiped the heel of his boot on Dean’s shirt, aggravating the injuries he’d already given him. He turned away to face Jason knowing that the two guarding the door would take out the trash. “With me, Hood. I need to get out of these wet clothes.” Jason followed Tim towards the back.

  
The pair bypassed the back exit for the door at the end of the hall. Tim entered the passcode to gain access and the door swung open. Without stopping, the two men moved down the hallway, allowing all of the security procedures to determine that they were Jason and Tim. Had Tim and Jason been intruders they wouldn’t have even made it five feet down the hallway as all the defenses set into motion. They entered an elevator at the end of the hallway and proceeded underground where only the two of them were allowed.

  
The doors slid open to reveal a brightly lit apartment that contrasted The Golden Palace in every sense. Their rooms were furnished well, no expense spared. They had a fully stocked kitchen with two ovens and four-door fridge. The living room had a large, u-shaped couch that was an inviting sandy color. The couch faced a wall covered in shelves stocked with books and movies nestled neatly around a large flat-screen. Tim walked passed all of this in favor of their bedroom down the hall.

  
Inside was a large four-poster bed with mercury-colored silk sheets. There was a large dresser that housed another flat-screen as well. Tim moved to the large walk in closet. He unlaced his combat boots and set them with the rest of his shoes. He peeled off his damp sweater and tossed it into the laundry basket.

  
“That was some nice fighting out there, babe.” Jason said, taking off his jacket as he joined Tim in the closet.

  
Tim rolled his eyes. “Isn’t it always?” He started undoing the buttons of his shirt, hating the feeling of the fabric stuck to his skin. Jason laughed as he started removing his body armor.

  
“Still. That guy had no fucking right to talk to you like that.”

  
Tim glanced over his shoulder. As much as Jason was trying to play it off, Tim knew that Jason was contemplating murder at the moment. Tim had his shirt join the sweater and moved over to stand in front of Jason. “No, he didn’t, but I took care of it.” He ran his hands over Jason’s chest now that the body armor was gone. “And now I’m going to let you take care of me.”

  
Jason hummed. “I like that idea.” He said and leaned down to capture Tim’s lips in a kiss. Tim responded by threading his fingers through Jason’s hair. Jason ran his hands over Tim’s back and squeezed his ass, pulling his boyfriend flush against him. Jason broke away and moved his mouth to kiss and suck down Tim’s neck. “God, I love you in these jeans.”

  
Tim shivered. “Why do you think I wear them?”

  
Jason tightened his grip on Tim, earning him a pleased gasp from the younger man. “How bad do you want me to take these off, babygirl?” Tim shivered harder this time and clutched onto Jason’s shirt. “Use your words.”

  
“Take them off, please.” Tim tightened his grip. “I need you to touch me.”

  
Jason nipped and sucked Tim’s lips in response. “To the bed then.” He said lifting and allowing Tim to wrap his legs around Jason’s waist. Jason walked the two of them out of the closet as Tim marked up his neck with bruises that would certainly not be hidden the next day. Jason bent over the bed and deposited Tim on top of the sheets.

  
Tim pushed Jason’s shirt up and Jason took the hint, ripping it over his head and throwing it behind him in the direction of the closet. Tim smiled. “Much better.” Tim said, running his hands over every available area of skin that he could reach. Tim took ahold of Jason’s belt and pulled him closer. He caught Jason’s lips again before beginning to undo the metal buckle and sliding it through the loops of Jason’s pants with a satisfying swish. Tim let the belt fall to the floor before moving to pop the button on Jason’s jeans and pushing those, and his boxers off.

  
Tim licked his lips as Jason’s arousal sprang free. He was already fully hard, but not quite leaking pre-come yet. Tim hoped he could remedy that situation fairly quickly. He laid back on the bed and put his arms over his head, enjoying the hungry gaze that he was rewarded with from Jason. “My turn.” Jason slid his hands down Tim’s body, enjoying every dip and stretch of skin whenever Tim moved. He gripped Tim’s hips and squeezed before dragging his hands to the front of Tim’s pants in an agonizingly slow way.

  
Jason popped the button and pulled down the zipper, loving every tug and pull the metal made. He dipped his hands inside and was just about to work Tim out of the clothing when his eyes widened. “Tim…” He said breathlessly. Jason gently pulled down Tim’s jeans to expose the sheer, blood-red lace panties that hid underneath. Jason’s breath caught and looked up to find Tim watching him with hooded eyes and biting his lip.

  
Jason ran his hands over the red lace, soaking in the view of Tim’s hard cock barely contained by the thin fabric. Leaving his hands on Tim’s hips, Jason chased after Tim’s mouth in order to catch it in a searing kiss. He pushed his tongue into his boyfriend’s mouth drawing a moan out of him. It was so wet and hot and perfect, like always. Tim was so pliant in his hands, so willing to give up control in the bedroom and Jason loved it. Loved that Tim trusted him enough to take care of him.

  
Tim broke the kiss, panting for air. “Jay…” He practically whined. “Fuck me, please.”

  
Jason nodded, always in awe of what Tim was capable of. “Anything for you, babygirl.” Tim keened at the pet name, arching up into Jason’s body and searching for skin contact. Jason hooked his thumbs into Tim’s panties and dragged the material over Tim’s cock and down his legs, earning pleased noises for the friction. Jason let the underwear fall to the floor before shifting Tim further back onto the bed. Jason took a minute to retrieve the lube from the bedside drawer before he was covering Tim’s body with his once again.

  
Jason uncapped the bottle and poured a generous amount of lube over his fingers before replacing the lid and tossing the bottle to the side. He rubbed it between his fingers, warming it, while his other hand moved over Tim’s chest. He pinched and squeezed a nipple causing Tim go gasp and arch up at the ministrations. As he toyed with Tim’s nipples, Jason slid his lubed fingers between Tim’s legs who parted them eagerly. He circled one finger around Tim’s entrance before pushing in, earning him a breathy sigh from Tim.

  
Tim opened up easily beneath him, honestly it’d be a surprise if he didn’t, considering how much time they spent in bed together. Before long, Jason had three of his fingers inside of Tim’s gloriously pliant body and Jason could sit there all day and watch him pant and writhe beneath him, loving the feeling of Jason taking care of him.

  
“Ready babygirl?” Jason asked.

  
“Oh my fuck-yes Jason, _please_.” Tim said desperately. He wiggled a bit to prove his point that he needed Jason inside of him and he was as ready as he was ever going to be.

  
Jason chuckled, pulling his fingers out of Tim and grabbing the bottle of lube once again. He poured a decent amount into the palm of his hand before slicking his own cock. Jason hooked his arms underneath Tim’s legs and positioned himself at Tim’s entrance. Slowly, ever so slowly, Jason pushed the head of his cock into Tim’s heat. Tim sighed, relaxing completely against the mattress now that he had a fraction of what he wanted.

  
Jason continued until he was fully seated inside of Tim. He pulled back until the head of his cock was the only thing left inside and snapped his hips forward, earning him a gasp from the man underneath him. Tim tried to dig his heels into something, but with Jason holding his legs up, he was completely helpless. Jason adjusted his hold on Tim’s legs and changed the angle before repeating his earlier motion, this time ramming straight into Tim’s prostate. Tim’s body felt electrified from the contact. White lightning shooting through his veins. He threw his head back and moaned.

  
“Jay…again…” Tim practically whimpered.

  
Jason smirked. He always loved when Tim looked like this, the harshness and mask worn when dealing with clients replaced with utter pleasure. Tim allowing Jason to take him apart, piece by piece. “If you insist.” Jason pulled back and repeated the motion, this time settling into an easy pace, making sure to hit Tim in just the right way with every thrust.

  
Tim easily met Jason thrust for thrust, silently demanding more from his partner, needing to be dominated, wrecked, and loved. Jason was more than happy to oblige his silent demands, willing to give him everything that he had. Jason picked up the pace, intending to draw as many whimpers and moans as possible from the younger man. Tim was already dripping precome like no tomorrow when Jason felt the tight coiling deep in his gut.

  
“Tim, I’m close.” And he could tell Tim was too. “Babygirl…” And that one word was what sent Tim over the edge. He screamed as he came almost brutally, the added sensation of Jason’s assault on his prostate leaving him to experience a merciless orgasm. Jason followed shortly after Tim, quickly losing it as Tim’s body clenched down around him. Jason rode out his orgasm inside Tim until the overstimulation was too much and Tim was squirming beneath him.

  
Jason pulled out, letting Tim’s legs drop from where they were hooked over his elbows. Tim let his legs fall to the bed, feeling utterly boneless after their activities, and muscles stiff from holding their position for so long. Jason leaned forward, brushing Tim’s sweaty hair out of his face. He leaned down and kissed Tim deeply, lovingly.

  
“God, Tim…” Jason said in awe. Tim’s eyelids fluttered open and he smiled tiredly, the skin around the edges of his eyes crinkling. The pure joy on Tim’s face was evident and Jason loved that it was directed at him, that he was able to put it there. “Be right back.” Jason jumped off the bed and walked into their bathroom to grab a towel before returning to Tim. He cleaned them both up and tossed the towel to the side. Jason gathered Tim in his arms and moved them under the covers of their bed allowing Tim to lean up against Jason’s chest, sighing contently, and placing his hands over where Jason’s arms were wrapped around his abdomen.

  
“Thanks, Jay.” Tim said, melting into his boyfriend.

  
Jason hummed, kissing the top of Tim’s head. It was only a few minutes when Tim began squirming, reaching over to the bedside table for his laptop. “Really, Tim? Now?” Jason asked, exasperated.

  
“I just have to take care of something really quick.” He replied opening the laptop and opening his personal server designed specifically for the organization. Tim punched out a message that nearly rivaled Flash, detailing that Dean was done and all of his territory was theirs, including the men Dean employed. Tim hit send and replaced the laptop on the side table. “There. All done, see?”

  
Jason huffed. “What am I going to do with you, Tim?”

  
Tim twisted around in Jason’s arms. “Continue to love me and fuck me into the mattress each night?”

  
Jason rolled his eyes, but indulged Tim in a kiss anyway. He pulled Tim down into the mattress and the two of them settled in with each other, arms keeping Tim secure and legs tangled together messily. They easily drifted off to sleep needing nothing more than each other’s presence. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason goes out on patrol and has some unpleasant experiences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha haha hahaha, look who finally got around to updating this! :) :) :) 
> 
> Seriously, I've left this for too long, but school, you know? Only another month and then I'll have a whole lot more time to write because summer break. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy how things are going to start developing in this chapter and those that are coming.
> 
> Let me know what you think and if you want to chat or hangout on tumblr it's: my-one-love-is-music
> 
> ~MOLIM

       Jason reluctantly forced his eyes open after accumulating only a few hours of sleep. Tim had shifted around during the night and was curled into Jason’s side, one hand easily fitting between their two bodies and the other one resting across Jason’s torso, palm splayed as if reminding Tim that he was still there. Jason sighed in appreciation of having Tim there, but also in reluctance in having to get up and leave Tim alone so that he could go out on patrol. That’s something that Jason was really not wanting to do at the moment. Jason caressed where Tim’s hand lay before reluctantly lifting it and scooting out of reach to the side of their bed and placing Tim’s hand back where Jason had been moments ago, hoping the warmth his body left behind would be enough to prevent Tim from waking.

               “Jasoooon?” Tim mumbled groggily, being raised from unconsciousness as Jason crawled out of bed. Of course nothing ever went how Jason would like it to.

               Jason looked over at Tim whose eyes were barely open, obviously not wanting to wake up quite yet. He leaned over and brushed Tim’s hair back and gave Tim a kiss on the forehead. “Shh, babygirl. Go back to sleep, I have patrol and I’ll be back in the morning.” 

* * *

 

               Tim huffed, but willingly sank back into the bed anyway, eyes falling closed. Jason smiled at how peaceful Tim looked in bed and loved being able to experience moments like this. No one else was lucky enough to see Tim relaxed and unsuspecting and _trusting_ in Jason to not do anything hurtful. He knew though, that despite falling asleep so easily it was almost guaranteed that Tim would wake back up soon enough with the need to do work. Being involved in the underworld did that to a person like Tim who had important investments to protect.

               Jason turned from the bed and made his way to the walk-in closet the two of them shared. He shut the door before flipping on the light so as not to disturb Tim’s sleep, no matter how short it would be. Jason suited up mindlessly, having done it so many times that it was second nature to latch all the necessary body armor together without any trouble. He then grabbed his red domino and helmet, adding the domino mask as he walked out of the closet. Jason was pleased to see that Tim was still sleeping as he passed by, quickly leaving their bedroom and making his way through the rest of the apartment, hoping the absence of his presence would encourage Tim to stay asleep for once.

               Jason entered the elevator leading into their apartment, but instead of going up to return to The Golden Palace, he descended even further below the secure floor where he and Tim stayed. The sleek silver doors opened with a gentle rush of air and sent a shiver down Jason’s spine at the newfound chillness present in the air. Jason stepped out into the underground garage that housed the various cars and bikes that he or Tim might need. He bypassed the newer and far more impressive models stored towards the front and moved further back where an older model waited.

               It may have been older than everything else in the collection, but it had proved to be reliable and Jason saw no reason in giving up something that worked perfectly, both mechanically and for how well it fit his personality. Jason had foregone a red paint-job for black a while back. Even if the latter was more what Bruce would and does use for his gear, Jason just couldn’t bring himself to ride something so glaringly obvious. If he needed to stow it somewhere, he most certainly did _not_ want the red paint job to be the thing that stood out among the shadows. And, really, who would ride a red bike in Gotham of all places?

               Jason slung one of his legs over the bike and seated himself quickly, enjoying the welcoming feeling of the worn seat that had served him so well over the years and how easily he fit down in it. His bike had become an extension of himself, one that fit together with him perfectly and was even a weapon that could be wielded with the utmost skill and care on the streets of Gotham. Unlike traditional motorcycles, Jason had modified the starting mechanism of his bike, only needing to input a specialized password before being allowed to press the start button.

               The bike rumbled to life beneath Jason, sending ripples of energy throughout his body, both tensing every muscle and allowing everything within him to relax simultaneously. It was an odd sensation for someone to try and understand who didn’t know what he was describing, but that didn’t bother Jason at all. He was calm, relaxed, and more prepared to attack than anyone would ever give him credit for when observing someone perched on a bike. Jason revved the engine a couple of times before pulling away from the lanes of vehicles and heading towards a different elevator. One designed specifically to deposit him on the streets of Gotham.

               Jason streaked out of the darkness. No one ever knew where he came from, only that he was a red-tipped bullet designed to leave death and destruction in his wake for those who deserved it. Sex workers and children living on the streets viewed him as a shield. The police, rapists, and child molesters only saw a threat and rightfully so. The dangers to those he protected still existed and were very real, but they weren’t alone even when the rest of the world seemed to turn against them and claim they weren’t worthy of breathing the same air as the Gotham elite.

               Jason stowed his bike a few blocks away from where the girls found work. He preferred to begin and end his patrol here since it gave him a chance to make sure things were going okay and to ensure that they continued to go well. It also gave Jason a chance to learn who had roughed them up that night since it was rare for things to be completely peaceful. He liked knowing that he had at least one task to complete each night, even if the girls wouldn’t approve of him messing with their customers.

               “How are things going tonight?” Jason asked, approaching Angel who acted as a sort of mother hen for the rest of the girls. It had taken a lot of time and effort to win her trust and show her that his intentions were good regardless of the methods he might employ.

               Angel tightened the shawl draped around her shoulders and sighed. “It’s been a bit rough, Hood. Diamond and Rose had some trouble with harassment on the streets tonight.”

               “Predators have started to increase.” Jason didn’t phrase it as a question.

               Angel bit her lip and nodded. “I’m worried that someone’s going to get taken soon.”

               Jason nodded, not needing further explanations. “Stay safe, Angel. Look out for yourself as much as your girls.”

               She smiled. “Same goes for you.”

               Jason turned and made his way into the nearest alley. He quickly scaled the fire escape and perched on the edge of the roof, overlooking his area of Gotham that needed protecting. It was almost peaceful in a way, but Jason knew what dark things lurked in the corners and shadows that preferred to go unseen. He enjoyed it in a way, cleaning up the streets of Gotham and willing to do things that others were not.

               Jason jumped to the next building and began sweeping the streets. It didn’t take long for Jason to find something. He dropped down on the usual mugging: woman walking home late at night v. crazy dude with a gun. Jason made quick work of him with a carefully aimed punch to the guy’s temple and sent him sprawling. Immediately, the other woman fled, not even giving him a thank you. Not that anyone ever did, really.

               After taking the mugger’s gun, because it wouldn’t hurt, Jason moved on and stopped a few more muggings when he heard a distinctly female scream. Without hesitating, Jason moved into action, sprinting across several rooftops before alighting on an even more poorly lit alleyway compared to others in Gotham. Not that any alleyway was reasonably lit in the first place. What Jason saw there made his blood boil. The sleaziest looking guy was crowding a young woman against a dumpster. He had her skirt hiked up around her hips while holding off any protest she may have against the actions, and there were _plenty_.

               Jason pulled his guns free and pounced. “Well look what we have here.” He drawled, barely masking the pure fury lying just below the surface.

               The other man’s head snapped around, eyes zeroing in on Jason and he sneered. “Get lost, ‘m busy here. Unless you want to join in?” He said, laughing as the woman renewed her struggles at the thought of two men taking advantage of her and hoping her attacker was distracted.

               “Sorry,” Jason said, raising one of his guns. “I don’t have time for rapists.”

               The other man paled and quickly backed away, letting the woman go. She righted her skirt and put as much distance as possible between her and the other two men, not that there was much in the alley. “Look man,” He started, raising his hands as though that would stop Jason from putting a bullet through his head. “I wasn’t trying to start something. You should’ve just told me she was your girl and I would’ve backed off.”

               Jason snarled and ground out, “She’s _not_ my girl.” As if anyone but Tim would ever be his girl, or boy, or sig nif.

               The man lowered his hands, looking confused. “Then what’s the problem?”

               “The problem is that you’re a rapist. Red doesn’t have time for rapists.” The other man spluttered at the information, most likely trying to come up with some form of defense for his actions. “And neither do I.” Jason punctuated the statement with a bullet to the attacker’s head. The guy’s head snapped backwards as blood and brain matter painted the wall behind his body. Almost in slow motion, the body crumpled to the ground in a boneless heap. If Jason strained to listen, he could almost hear the dramatic opera music playing in the background. It was a moment, Jason felt, which was even deserving of a release of doves.

               Jason heard a muffled gasp behind him and turned to find the woman staring past him at the now lifeless body. She was shaking, but there was nothing else Jason could do for her. “Get home safe. Dark alleys can be dangerous places at night.” He grunted and turned to go.

               “Thank you.” She whispered quietly before he moved back to the rooftops.

               “Well, golly gee, someone thanked me.” Jason said sarcastically, but he still felt sympathy towards her. She was just one person that he was able to save compared to the countless who had most likely already suffered at that bastard’s hands. The wind blowing across his helmet was relaxing and spurred him on. Sometimes he wished Tim could come out with him like this, but he wasn’t a mask and if the bats caught wind that he was towing Red around… Things would be worse than just bad. Which is exactly why Jason stopped and pulled out his guns when he felt that familiar, more than he’d like it to be, presence behind him.

               “Can I help you?” He asked gruffly.

               “Now what kind of warm welcome is that for ol’ Nightwing?” Dick said, smirking, no, just smiling. Dick always smiled, never smirked.

               Jason turned. “Sorry. How’s your hearing holding up ol’ Nightwing? Has your arthritis made an appearance yet?”

               Dick just shook his head. Jason couldn’t even get an eye roll out of the other man. “I’m fine thanks for asking, Hood! How are things going with you?”

               Jason rolled his eyes. “What do you want, Dick?”

               “Fine, fine. I’m hoping to get a little information.”

               Jason felt a small bit of unease snake its way into his gut. “B sending you out as his information gatherer, now?”

               “Who says I’m doing this for B?” Dick questioned.

               Jason let his silence speak for him.

               “Fine.” Dick said, giving in. “Yes, I’m here for him. But what we’re looking into has me fairly interested as well. We’ve caught wind of something developing, I mean, how could we not…and we want to know if you know anything about it.”

               The unease in Jason’s gut grew. “Go on.”

               “We’ve noticed a major shift in how crime’s been conducted lately. Things have been moving, like, big things, if you haven’t noticed.”

               “Big things happen all the time.” Jason said, a bit peeved that B would assume he wouldn’t notice things happening in his city.

               “Every now and then they do, but nothing on such a large scale all at once. One of the upcoming spearheaders, Dean I think his name was, just up and disappeared. That doesn’t happen, Hood!” Dick took a breath. “There’s something else.”

               Dick eyed him and Jason bristled. “What?” He ground out.

               “More and more rapists and child molesters have been found dead. Well, they’re either dead or those that are still around have kept low profiles and haven’t been acting.”

               “You know how I feel about those types of people, why not just assume I’m the one upping the ante?”

               “Because, the casualties have added up to far more than you would be able to handle in such a short period of time. You would have had to have only concentrated your efforts on that one cause and we both know you haven’t.”

               “Your point?” Jason really hoped that Dick would leave soon. He didn’t much feel like putting a bullet into the other man.

               “Tell us what you know. You must have some sort of influence for these kinds of things to be happening. The number of crime lords out there who willingly pit their men against child molesters and rapists, it just doesn’t happen! So, what do you know?”

               “Nothing. I don’t know anything.”

               “Come on, we both know…”

               “Look,” Jason said, cutting the other man off. “How do you know it’s not some crime lord looking to rope me into their shit? They could easily be taking this stance to get me to join their little crew and work towards whatever it is they want to accomplish. Now, when you have something to question me about besides obvious observations and speculations, then we’ll talk.” Jason turned and headed back in the direction he’d come from, leaving Dick standing there on the rooftop.

               The whole conversation made Jason uneasy. He knew the things that Tim was doing couldn’t go unnoticed forever, but to have Dick come and question him about it… Jason was not going to have that. He’d do everything to protect his babygirl from the Bats. Jason’s thoughts quickly turned the uneasiness he was feeling to anger. Things were becoming complicated and he hated when Bruce felt the need to encroach on his territory. He lost that right a long time ago.

               Jason’s anger easily fueled the rest of his patrol. He was far more violent than he would be on any other night, even with simple muggings. People say that wearing rose-colored glasses isn’t beneficial when looking at another person, but they never thought about what that phrase meant when referring to rage. Those rose-colored glasses caused far more destruction and pain and Jason was happy to wear them as long as possible if it meant keeping things away from Tim. It just might teach the vermin of Gotham a lesson or two as well.

               Jason paused to catch his breath. Now that he thought about it, he was probably being very stupid. If any of the Bats were watching him, and they probably were, they would know that something was up. They would ask Dick about their conversation and it wouldn’t take a genius to put two and two together. Hell, he even told the rapist from earlier that Red didn’t like rapists. Jason’s fingers twitched. He really wanted to shoot something. He clenched his hands instead.

               Jason closed his eyes and took several calming breaths. He really wanted to shout and rage, but that would only make things worse. He opened his eyes to look back over Gotham and was surprised to see just how close to dawn it was. He must have been far more distracted by his anger and the encounter he had with Dick than he thought. Jason made quick work of the last couple of blocks to where his bike was stashed. The girls had all already disappeared for the day and he’d have to make sure to get the rundown of what had happened during the rest of his patrol. Jason was prepared to take every chance to distract B from Tim and place himself in the spotlight. After all, Tim was a master of shadows, using them differently than B would have ever thought to.

               As he’d begun the night, Jason materialized into the land of the living and was just as quickly gone again, melting into the darkness until the next night. At least, that’s what everyone who saw him whip past described him as. Jason was just using the cover of darkness and the poor Gotham lighting to his advantage. It wasn’t quite as romantic as many people would like to believe. All the better, however, when returning to the garage where his bike was stowed during the day. It wouldn’t do to have people snooping around where they shouldn’t be. And if they did…Jason still wanted to shoot something.

               Jason replaced his bike at the end of the rows of much more expensive products that Tim insisted on owning. He sat for a moment and removed his helmet in order to just breathe. Jason felt exhausted, almost as if the entirety of his being had been stripped of everything and replaced it with wet cement that would surely drag him down into the depths of the murky water if he were to be dumped into Gotham’s bay. It wasn’t a good feeling and one that would hopefully disappear after a hot shower and a good few hours of needed sleep.

               Jason left his bike and made the return trip to his and Tim’s place. It hadn’t always been his and Tim’s, it used to just be Tim’s, but somewhere along the way Tim had started referring to it as theirs and Jason was more than happy to follow the lead given to him. Jason walked out of the elevator, each step feeling heavier and heavier.

               “Welcome home.” Jason raised his head at the soft voice. Tim was standing there in the hallway, smiling at him. Jason felt some of the tension that he didn’t know he’d been carrying dissolve, making him feel just a fraction lighter.

               Jason smiled in relief, not knowing just how much he’d needed to see Tim since his meeting with Dick. “Good to be home, babe. Pronouns?” He asked moving with a little more purpose down the hallway.

               “She/her.” She replied. “Go get changed and join me for breakfast?”

               Jason nodded and drew Tim in for a kiss. She walked past him and Jason admired the business attire she was dressed in for work. He always loved seeing Tim in a black skirt and matching blazer. Today, she had a ruffled, pink top underneath the blazer and black flats on her slim feet. Jason sighed and headed for the walk-in closet in their bedroom. He felt relieved when the oppressive weight of his body armor disappeared. He threw most of his clothes in the hamper, only taking a longer moment to carefully place his beloved and well-worn leather jacket on a hanger. In his uniform’s place, Jason put on a pair of grey joggers and tight black tee, hoping that will earn him a little attention from Tim after the night he had.

               Jason walked towards the kitchen to the sizzling of bacon and cheery _ding_ of the toaster. He walked over to Tim and placed a kiss on top of her head as she plated the bacon alongside matching portions of scrambled eggs before reaching over and grabbing the pieces of toast with ease despite the arm Jason had around her waist.

               “Take these over to the table?” She asked, leaning back into Jason’s chest and looking up at him through vibrant blue eyes.

               Jason smiled at her. “Absolutely.” He released his hold on his girlfriend and carefully toted the plates of food over to their rich burgundy table. Tim followed soon after with a cup of coffee for herself and a glass of orange juice for Jason. She set the juice next to Jason’s plate and walked around the table to sit across from her boyfriend. Jason watched her begin to eat in that dainty way she held herself in, in order to prevent getting any food on her work clothes. It was never a good day when Tim accidentally got bacon grease on her blouse and relegated the task of cleaning it to Jason in order to prevent a stain from forming.

               Only when it was obvious that Tim was not about to spill breakfast all over herself, Jason allowed himself to take a bite of his own eggs and enjoy the warmth spreading outward from his stomach.

               “Did patrol go okay?”

               Jason paused and stared down at the food on his plate. “For the most part. I ran into Nightwing…well, Nightwing found me and stuck his nose in something that isn’t his business.”

               “Let me guess…it involves Batman.” Tim said, nonplussed.

               Jason leaned back into his seat. “Yeah. They know something’s up. They’ve taken notice of the things that you’ve been doing. Even noticed Dean’s disappearance.”

               Tim shrugged. “It was bound to happen eventually. Honestly, I expected more from them and thought they’d notice a lot sooner.”

               Jason felt the unease from earlier returning. “But, Tim…”

               Tim looked up, her gaze soft and understood more than Jason could ever say through words. “It’ll be fine Jason. I won’t let anything happen to me, and you won’t let anything happen to me.” She smiled. “Plus, if my other actions are what’s drawing more attention, it’ll make it easier for me to get the information I need out of Wayne Enterprises.”

               Jason’s unease grew in intensity, curling and writhing like a nasty, black snake. “Okay.” He said, reluctantly, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to say anything to dissuade Tim from continuing her work that she’s fought so long and hard for.

               Tim noticed her boyfriend’s growing unease. “Jason. You can’t be everywhere that I need to be, just like I can’t be everywhere that I want to be with you. If shit hits the fan we’ll need to trust each other to run damage control and prevent things from getting even further out of hand.” Tim watched Jason until he nodded his head. “Good. I need to get going if I don’t want to be late. Get some rest Jason.” She stood from her seat and gave Jason a kiss before heading for the elevator. Tim picked up her purse and was out of the apartment with the swiftness and confidence of a practiced business professional. Jason was one of the few people that noticed the deadly abilities lying just beneath the surface.

               Jason sighed and finished the last of his breakfast. He grabbed the matching plates and cups and deposited them in the sink to be cleaned later. If he couldn’t do anything about the growing unease with the whole situation, he was most certainly going to have a shower and get some sleep while Tim was at work. She would do what was needed at WE and he would do as much as possible to keep himself in peak condition to protect Tim at all costs. He stripped out of his tee and sweats and stepped under the hot spray of the shower. Muscles immediately relaxing, Jason closed his eyes and rested his head against the tile wall, hoping that for once the odds would be in his favor and things weren’t about to go to hell.

If only Jason knew what was really coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that!!
> 
> Please comment or hit me up on tumblr and let me know how I'm doing. I really do appreciate it!
> 
> ~MOLIM


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wanted to get this chapter up yesterday, but wasn't able to because it somehow managed to be almost 5000 words. Like, wtf? Where the hell did this come from? Anyway...sorry, I've been gone so long, but school has kept me super busy. I'm almost done actually, tomorrow I have my last final exam that I should probably be studying for instead of this, but who fucking cares right now.
> 
> I'm hoping to update more frequently once I'm done, sans the two weeks I'm going to Japan and I'm hoping to update both of my stories at least one more time before I leave on my trip. 
> 
> Anywho, enjoy some more genderfluid, pastel, crime boss Tim! I hope you are still enjoying this, because I seriously love writing it. 
> 
> ~MOLIM

                Tim walked into the bustling lobby of Wayne Enterprises with her favorite Starbucks drink in hand, a white chocolate mocha. She walked easily and confidently through the throngs of people flitting back and forth doing who knows what that Tim wasn’t concerned with. She had more important things to do, namely, the Research and Development division of W.E. Tim strode over to the rows of elevators and pressed the button to indicate that she was going up. She sipped at her coffee when a voice spoke up behind her, making her roll her eyes.

                “Hi there, Tim.” Jackson said.

                Tim reluctantly plastered a smile on her face and turned to face the man. “Good morning, Jackson.” She really hoped that he would leave soon, not wanting to deal with his persistent questions, well, ever.

                “You’re looking rather pretty today.” He said, eyes roving over Tim’s figure.

                Tim’s smile tightened. “Does this count as workplace harassment?” She really hated having to deal with Jackson.

                Jackson’s face fell. “Aw, come on, Tim. I didn’t mean it like that.”

                “Oh, really? Because that’s exactly how it seemed to me.” She turned and stepped into the newly arrived elevator and pressed the button for the 16th floor. “You’d think in this day and age, men would finally learn how to respect a woman’s body.” Jackson was left gaping in the lobby as the elevator doors closed, leaving Tim in sweet, sweet bliss. She never enjoyed interacting with him and ever since her first day at W.E., he never managed to leave her alone. He asked her out at least once a week and no matter how many times Tim told him she had a boyfriend, he _would not listen._ Hopefully this latest interaction would get it through his thick skull that she wasn’t interested, but Tim was doubtful of that happening.

                Tim had finished her coffee by the time she reached her floor and she dumped her cup in the first trashcan she passed walking down the hallway. The halls were ridiculously clean, marble floors shining, and pristine pale blue walls lacking any sort of nick or mark.

                “Good morning, Tim!” Debra, the R&D’s secretary told Tim as she came up to the double doors leading to the labs and offices.

                “Morning, Deb!” Tim said cheerily. She always enjoyed talking with Deb. The two of them hit it off right away when Tim first started. Tim firmly believes that’s because she’s one of the few females that has made it to the department thus far, even if Tim isn’t always a woman.

                “How are things going this morning?”

                Tim leaned her elbows on her desk. “Ran into Jackson, like that’s a surprise.”

                Deb rolled her eyes. “Again? That boy needs to get a clue.”

                “I know! I keep telling him that I have a boyfriend and I’m not interested, but he won’t listen. Some men are complete assholes.”

                Deb sighed, understanding exactly what Tim meant. Then she leaned forward with a gleam in her eye that Tim absolutely _loved_ and often meant she was about to have a fantastic day. “Well…if you want anyone to take it out on, Marty and Frank told me to distract you this morning and keep you away from their work. Looks like someone screwed up. Again.”

                Tim smiled. “Thanks, Deb. Before you know it, this department will consist almost entirely of women, who actually get their work done on time.” The two women fist bumped before Tim pushed through the double doors and made her way to her office at the end a hallway lined entirely with doors that either led to other offices for the researchers or to the labs. Tim walked purposefully to her door, unlocked it, and pushed inside flipping on the light switch. The door shut behind her and she looked around, gaining comfort from the familiar surroundings that she made her own.

                Tim didn’t have the largest office, there was really only room for her desk and a couch, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. The walls were the same pale blue as the rest of the building, but Tim had hung a few cityscape paintings of Gotham on the wall. Her desk was a deep mahogany that stayed as clean as she could manage to keep it, which is to say, not at all. The couch was a soft, light brown suede and if there were days when Tim was exceptionally tired or wanted to prop her feet up, she’d plop herself down on it with her laptop and fill out reports or sometimes even take a nap. Tim’s desk chair was the only piece of furniture to come close to the comfort provided by the couch. It was the softest leather that provided the perfect support for Tim’s back (which she appreciates after those particularly intense nights with Jason in bed).

                Tim walked around her desk and seated herself, pulling her (heavily encrypted and secure) laptop from her purse. She powered it up and connected to the WE system through the building’s input cord. Moving quickly, Tim opened the programs that she designed, plugging them into the mainframe to collect data and information from the company. One of the benefits of knowing the ins and outs of WE’s tech and computer software was the fact that Tim knew exactly how to get around everything and access the information that she “wasn’t supposed” to know about. Another benefit was Tim slowly buying the company stock away from all of the other stockholders. Bruce Wayne may still think that he has complete control over his company, but he would be sadly mistaken.

                A knock on the office door jolted Tim from her work and she looks up to find Bruce Wayne standing on the other side of it. Tim motioned him inside and he pushed open the door and strode in with all of the calm collectedness that was Bruce Wayne. He approached Tim’s desk and she discreetly closed her laptop that was still open to her personal programs and stood from her chair.

                “Good Morning, Tim.” He said in that seductively smooth voice that he used when conducting business or anything involving public appearances.

                Tim plastered her fake smile back on. “Mr. Wayne, to what do I owe the pleasure this morning?”

                “Call me Bruce, please.” Tim nodded that she understood, not that she would ever take him up on that offer. “Tomorrow night WE is hosting a charity gala and despite everyone from the company being invited, I was hoping to extend a personal invitation in the hopes that you would attend.”

                Tim nodded. Of course she knew about the gala. She always attended the galas, not that Bruce knew that, Tim just wanted to strengthen her alibi as much as possible to play the part of the precious little R&D worker. “Mr. Wayne, when the head of a company personally invites you to a charity gala, how could I not accept?”

                Bruce smiled his Bruce Wayne publicity smile. “Excellent, Tim. I will see you tomorrow evening at the gala.” He walked out of Tim’s office, shutting the door firmly behind him.

                As soon as Bruce was far enough down the hallway, Tim allowed the smile to slide from her face and replaced it with a scowl. “Fucking Bruce Wayne.” She muttered sitting back down at her desk and re-opening her laptop. The day she didn’t have to deal with him anymore couldn’t come soon enough. It was only because she desperately needed the information that was stored in the company and Bruce’s private files that she put up with all of it. Deb was really the only person that made coming to WE the least bit bearable.

                Tim checked on the programs she had running, finding them all to be working without a hitch and completely undetected by anyone else in the company. Tim allowed herself a smile as she did every morning when her programs began their routine data collection. After confirming everything was in working order, Tim shut her computer. She got up from her seat and walked to her office door, pulling it open and moving back into the hallway. She retraced her steps until she was at Lab 3.

                Tim pushed the door open and smiled, enjoying the atmosphere that always existed in the labs. It also helped that Marty and Frank were frantically conducting research and trying to fill out the reports that should have already been on Tim’s desk that morning. The two of them were so deep in their work that they didn’t even notice Tim come in.

                “Good morning, boys!” Tim said cheerfully causing them to freeze, eyes wide in horror.

                Marty was the first to break out of his trance. He was the shorter of the two techies and slim without having an athletic build. Marty’s light brown hair was often unruly, and even more so today, along with slightly askew glasses, indicating that he was hastily working to meet his already passed deadline. “Tim!” He smiled uncertainly. “G-good morning. How are you doing today?”

                “I’m doing well, but I’d be even better if your reports were on my desk.”

                “Well you see Tim…” Marty began.

                “Our reports somehow got deleted!” Frank interjected.

                “Right! Our reports got deleted.”

                Tim shook her head. “Frank…Marty. I would hope after all this time you would realize that I know when you’re lying.” Both men began to stutter, trying to come up with some sort of excuse. “You should also know better than to tell Deb to distract me when you haven’t finished your work.” She finished, smirking.

                The two men’s shoulders slumped. “Sorry.” Frank muttered.

                “Just get your work done and turn in those reports before the end of the day.”

                “Yes, Tim, of course.” Marty said quickly, pulling Frank back to their work station. Tim watched in amusement. The height difference between the two was almost comical. The two couldn’t be any more different appearance wise. Where Marty was short and slim, Frank was tall and had an extremely muscular build. He had ginger hair, with the occasional bear, and both of his arms were covered with tattoo sleeves.

                Tim left them and slipped silently out of the lab the two of them liked to call home. She bypassed the next couple of labs and entered Lab 5 where she kept her own work (that wasn’t completely private and unknown, anyway). Tim walked over to her lab table and checked over the notes from her previous days of work. The current project she had been assigned dealt with developing a certain information tracking technology. It was actually very similar to what Tim used to gather the information and data from W.E., but Tim had no qualms taking her time and proceeding at the pace that it took “normal” researchers to achieve such things.

                In reality, Tim’s notebooks were halfway filled with experiments and tests that she hadn’t even conducted, knowing what the outcomes would be without even having to input the data. The other half were Tim being a little shit and inputting data that was so incredibly _wrong_ she didn’t know how anyone could make such mistakes without trying to make them. Tim smiled and settled in to another day of conducting fake experiments and gathering data that she already knew the results of. At least when Tim finished this project, the other techies, as well as Bruce Wayne, wouldn’t even have an idea of how to detect it even if they were using it themselves, continuing to allow her to gather all that data that she could ever need.

                Tim’s day passed in a whirlwind of numbers and new technology. She enjoyed a wonderful lunch with Deb where the two of them gossiped about the upcoming gala. Deb couldn’t believe that Bruce Wayne had come to personally invite Tim to it either.  Marty and Frank managed to just barely get their finished reports in on time. Tim tucked them into her purse, intending to look over them extensively over the course of her day off the next day. She shut down her data programs and stowed the laptop away as well, knowing that would be a whole other are of perusal for her day off. After shutting up her office, Tim made her way back downstairs and left W.E. after another day.

                Tim drove back to The Golden Palace easily, able to miss most of the rush hour traffic since she was headed in the opposite direction towards the entrance to her garage that would deposit her beneath the club that she would appear in later that night. Tim slid through the buildings with ease, not even earning a second glance from those around because there was no one around. It was too early for anyone of consequence to be hanging out looking for some sort of benefit. Tim parked her car among the others that were present that she loved immensely. Jason thought that it was a bit excessive, but Tim was never one to waste an opportunity if it presented itself.

                Tim walked over to the elevator and re-entered it, quickly riding back up to the apartment. Everything was quiet when she was let off and she suspected that Jason was probably still asleep after his patrol the night before. Tim walked into their bedroom, indeed finding a sleeping Jason under the covers, or he was at least pretending to sleep which he so often did since his training had him waking up at the slightest amount of movement anywhere in the apartment. Tim walked over and kissed his forehead, earning her a satisfied hum, confirming that Jason was indeed awake, before walking into their closet.

                She slipped off her shoes while pulling of the blazer, contemplating what she would be wearing to the club that night. She was feeling especially sexy and wanted something that would make Jason’s mouth water. She decided on a strapless, deep red dress that only came down to mid-thigh. Not only did it look as though it had been molded to Tim’s body, but it was also Jason’s color, something she knew would drive him completely insane. Tim quickly changed out of her business attire and into the dress, slipping on a pair of red heels before returning to the bedroom to find Jason sitting up in bed.

                Jason groaned at seeing what she was wearing, making Tim smirk. She walked over and gave him a kiss, running her fingers up into his dark locks and holding them tight in her grip. Tim pulled away and ran her fingers through Jason’s hair. “Are you coming up tonight?”

                “With you looking like that?” Jason asked, voice husky with lust. “Hell yeah I’m coming up. I’m gonna make sure no creeps try and get their hands on you.”

                Tim smiled. “Good. I expect you to be on par with me though.”

                Jason grinned, wolfishly. “Any requests?”

                Tim’s eyes glinted. “Surprise me.” She moved away from Jason and headed out to the elevator, knowing that the club was already filling up with people. The elevator doors opened to the security hallway and Tim could already hear the thump of the music and loud voices. She pushed through the double doors and entered the darkened club that was only a shadow of what it appeared to be during the day. The lights were dimmed and the atmosphere hazy with smoke. Tim slipped through the groups of people easily, all of them far too distracted to notice her entrance which is what she ultimately preferred. It allowed her to remain an enigma, someone who couldn’t be held down or controlled by others, someone who allowed the attendees to come to the club and find their release if that’s what they needed.

                “Red!” Someone shouted, finally taking notice of her. As everyone’s attention focused in on Tim, she turned to face the group, a sexy smile on her face.

                “Welcome back, everyone. Please, don’t let me stop you from enjoying yourselves! Drink, dance, find your escape. The Golden Palace welcomes all who wish to be royalty for the night!” As Tim concluded her announcement, she threw back a shot to the cheers of everyone present. Tim moved away from the bar, allowing everyone else to swarm the bartender for shots before they resumed their dancing and mingling for the night. She found her usual secluded area that was always reserved for her and Jason, and the occasional guest if allowed, but Tim rarely felt like having to deal with people fawning all over her, she preferred her distance.

                Tim nodded at her two bodyguards and strutted into her lounge area filled with couches and prepared drinks. She picked up a glass of wine and took her place in the center of a circular couch. Tim took a sip and leaned her head back against the cushions, letting the music and thump of the bass surround her and echo deep within to the depths of her soul.

                During the small pause between songs when everyone seems to hold their breath and time seems to stop for just a moment, Tim heard movement outside of her lounge. She looked up as Jason walked in and her eyes rove over his form hungrily, similar to how he appraised her earlier. Jason was dressed in dark wash jeans that fit snugly over his muscular thighs and had a deep maroon button-down underneath a white vest. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to the elbow and Jason had his usual domino mask adorning his face.

                Jason smirked at Tim’s reaction. “Satisfied?” He asked, slinking over to join Tim on the couch.

                “Mmmm, very.” She said, running a hand over his chest and leaning into his side.

                Jason draped one of his arms around Tim while she gave him a sip of her wine. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.”

                “Not at all.” She said curling into his side.

                Jason ducked his head down and slotted their lips together, slow and sweet. It wasn’t a heated kiss, that would come later, but it conveyed the love the two of them felt for each other. It filled them up so completely that their feelings were nearly incomprehensible. How was it possible for so much love to exist between two people? Tim and Jason had certainly never felt anything like that before each other and knew nothing would ever come close to it again. It was a love born from time and acceptance, something that wasn’t always easily found in the world, especially when the two of them were involved in such dangerous activities.

                Neither Jason nor Tim were certain of how long they kissed. Their kisses mixed with the beats and pulses of the music, becoming quick and heated at one point, and then slowing down sensually in the next. Wine mixed with the kisses, staining lips red and driving the couple to taste each other’s mouths even more fervently than before. Everything blended together in Jason and Tim’s own song. A song of love and wine and cherry red kisses that never seemed to be enough. The two broke apart just as the current track peaked before the bass drop which released a whirlwind of emotions.

                Jason and Tim sat for a few moments, staring into each other’s eyes, desperately trying to regain the breath that had been stolen from them. Without exchanging a single word, the two lovers scrambled off the couch and headed towards the exit. They needed each other in every possible way and felt the urgency of conveying the love that their kisses had only broken the surface of. Jason and Tim moved through the crowd with ease, everyone else was far too preoccupied with their own, if only for one night, lovers, or they were far too drunk to register who exactly was walking past.

                The security hallway was too long and neither Jason nor Tim cared for the extra precautions they had put in place. Tim gripped Jason’s hand tightly, using it to stay grounded when she wanted to rip her clothes off in the middle of the hallway. The two entered the elevator quickly and Jason had Tim cornered before the doors had even closed. He pressed his body up against her and slowly ground his arousal up against hers with a roll of his hips. Tim gasped at the sensation, pulling Jason’s head down to slide their mouths together in a hot and heated kiss. Jason ran his tongue over her bottom lip and she opened her mouth eagerly, wanting, _needing_ , Jason to consume every part of her and fill her in just the right ways that only he is capable of.

                The ding of the elevator and the doors sliding open was one of the best sounds Tim had ever heard in her life. Without breaking their mouths apart, Jason lifted Tim off the ground and wrapped her legs around his waist. He groaned at the feel of her against him and how she was sitting just right to apply a teasingly small amount of pressure to the top of his dick. Jason moved his hands up Tim’s thighs until he was gripping Tim’s ass and pushing her harder against him. Tim broke away with a gasp, squirming against the feel of their bodies together.

                “B-babygirl…” Jason started.

                “Yeah?” She breathed.

                “Are-“ He swallowed. “Are you not wearing underwear?”

                Tim laughed breathlessly and kissed her way up the side of Jason’s face to whisper in his ear. “Let’s just call it ease of access.” She moved to suck on his neck as Jason all but ran to their bedroom.

                Jason dropped Tim onto their bed and lifted one of Tim’s legs to kiss her ankle, slipping off the high-heel and letting it drop to the floor. Jason could already see a wet spot forming on the front of Tim’s dress and her face was deliciously flushed from being so worked up already. Jason repeated the same movement with her other leg, leaving the shoe to join the other one on the floor. He slipped his own shoes off as Tim sat up to run her hands reverently over his thighs and up his stomach, starting on the buttons of his vest.

                Tim stood, placing herself flush against Jason and pushed the vest off Jason’s shoulders before forcing their lips together once more. Jason untucked his own shirt and quickly made his way through the buttons, nearly ripping the shirts with the force he used to pull the fabric from his body.

                “Pants off.” Tim said panting and tugging at Jason’s belt.

                Jason smirked, covering Tim’s hand with his own and slowly slid the leather through the metal grips until it was hanging open. He unbuttoned the jeans and unzipped them so slowly it had Tim biting her lip and whining. Jason pushed the jeans down until they pooled on the floor around his ankles, leaving him in a pair of black briefs that were barely restricting his torturous erection. Jason cupped Tim’s chin between his thumb and forefinger and brought their mouths together in a loving kiss, while reaching around with his other hand to unzip the back of Tim’s dress, letting the material fall to the floor.

                Tim shivered as the slide of the fabric left goosebumps on her skin. Jason took a few steps forward, forcing Tim backwards until she was again met with the bed. Jason whispered into her ear, “Now, Tim, be a good girl for me and lay yourself out all pretty so I can see.” Tim shivered, but nodded all the same. Jason took a step back as Tim positioned herself in the middle of the bed. She placed one hand behind her head to prop herself up and spread her legs, bending them at the knee and forcing her heels to dig into the mattress. Jason hummed in approval while removing his briefs and grabbing the lube and a condom from the drawer in the bedside table.

                Jason sauntered back over to the bed, keeping Tim pinned in place with his hungry gaze. The bed dipped under his weight as he crawled over the covers to Tim who was nearly vibrating with anticipation and breathing shallowly. Jason seated himself between her legs and looked over her beautiful body. He set the lube and condom to one side and ran his hands up her sides. He leaned down and captured her lips in a much slower kiss than the ones they were exchanging earlier, while wrapping one of his hands around her arousal. Tim gasped and Jason swallowed her noises, pushing his tongue forward to invade her mouth. Jason gave her a few good strokes before Tim was pulling away, desperately trying to suck some form of air into her lungs, even though all she wanted to live off of was Jason alone.

                “J-jay…” She panted. “P-please…I-I-I-I need…”

                “Talk to me Babygirl. Tell me what you want.”

                Tim shuddered at the nickname, feeling as though she was going to come right then and there from Jason’s words, Jason’s _presence_ alone. He was everything she needed, everything she would always need. Tim took a breath and tried again. “I need you. Please fuck me, please, I need it. I need you. Jason, please. Make love to me. Need you to, _please_.” Tim was nearly sobbing, a whirlwind of emotions nearly drowning her in their intensity.

                Jason smiled down at Tim, running his fingers through her hair. “And I’ll always be here to love you, Tim. Always.”

                Tim did sob this time, out of relief and happiness. Jason wiped the tears falling from her eyes with his thumb while he picked up the bottle of lube. He popped the cap and drizzled a generous amount over his fingers before replacing it on the bed. Jason moved his hands down between Tim’s legs and circled one finger around her entrance earning him a satisfying whimper. His finger dipped inside, nearly being taken in all the way. Jason gently thrust his finger in and out, hooking it occasional to try and reach Tim’s prostate.

                “M-more, Jay…” Tim croaked. Jason brought his mouth back to Tim’s as he slid two of his fingers into Tim’s entrance, gently scissoring them to ease her open. She opened easily, still loose from the night before and Jason was able to add a third finger quickly. He thrust his three fingers in a little more harshly, making Tim squirm from the pleasure and sensations. After one such thrust, Jason curled his fingers making Tim see white and seek out some form of purchase.

                Tim whimpered pitifully when Jason removed his fingers to roll on a condom and lube up his previously neglected cock. Jason aligned himself with Tim’s entrance and looked into her Pegasus blues shining bright. He slowly pressed inside and watched as Tim tried to keep her eyes open and focused on Jason, but lost her battle as she was filled completely and perfectly, eyes falling closed and mouth hanging open. Jason paused after bottoming out, allowing Tim to adjust and only began to move when her gaze returned to him and she wrapped her legs around his back.

                Jason pulled nearly all the way out before easing back in gently, keeping his movements slow and sensual, leaving Tim squirming underneath him. The sight left Jason breathless. He couldn’t believe that this life was his sometimes and that he was so lucky to be loved by Tim, to be wanted by her. Someone so breathtaking and caring when she wanted to be, but so incredibly fierce and powerful and independent.

                “God, Tim…” Jason breathed out. “So beautiful. So perfect. Amazing. I love you, Tim. Love you.”

                “Love you, too…Jason.” Tim moaned Jason’s name. “H-harder…need more.”

                Jason picked up his pace, slamming into Tim with each thrust and she met him each and every time. Jason leaned forward to suck bruises on Tim’s neck forcing the angle to change leaving Tim crying out, her prostate hit with every thrust. Jason abandoned one side of Tim’s neck in favor of the other, sucking and licking his way across the skin, painting her body with things that meant more than words ever could. Something tightened in his lower stomach and Jason wrapped a hand around Tim’s arousal, knowing they were both on the brink of finishing. Jason only managed to pump Tim a few times with his own thrusts before she was coming, squeezing tight around where Jason was inside of her. Jason quickly followed, riding out his orgasm and he continued to thrust into Tim’s tight heat.  

                Once they were both done, Jason eased himself out gently, pulled off the condom and tied the end off. Tim was left in the middle of the bed panting and dazed. Jason threw the condom away and pulled a tissue from the box on the bedside table, wiping off first his hands and then Tim’s stomach. After the tissue joined the condom in the trash can, Jason pulled Tim with him underneath the covers snuggling close and burying his nose in her hair. She sighed, reveling in the feeling of being so close to the person she loves.

                “Jason.” She mumbled, already beginning to fall asleep.

                Jason hummed.

                “I love you.”

                Jason smiled, kissing her head. “Love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Comments are always appreciated and I loved writing the last bit of this with how desperate Tim and Jason were for each other. 
> 
> If you'd like to hit me up on tumblr it's tumblr.com/my-one-love-is-music  
> I'm literally willing to talk about anything if you want to and love chilling with new people. 
> 
> <3  
> ~MOLIM


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOO! An update in a little over a week! Yay for summer vacation and getting to fucking write for once. I should get at least one more chapter up before I leave for Japan on the 19th if all goes well. 
> 
> I hope you're ready for a long ass update. I don't know how, but my chapters just keep getting longer and longer so thanks for coming back and reading each update. There are some parts of this chapter where I'm not exactly happy with it, but I don't know how to fix it. *sigh*
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~MOLIM

Tim woke up the next morning enveloped in a blanket warmth. Jason was holding him closely, one arm draped lazily, but securely over Tim’s waist. He was glad that he’d be able to spend some time with his boyfriend today. Tim had regularly scheduled days off, something he requested when he started working at W.E., but the same couldn’t be said for Jason, especially if Tim needed him to do something or keep his other employees in line.

Tim shifted around in Jason’s embrace until he was facing the older man, which was a little difficult when Jason’s arm tightened around him, but he managed. Tim smiled and gazed up at Jason’s relaxed face. He cupped Jason’s check and ran his thumb over the skin, feeling the slight traces of stubble that dotted Jason’s face every other morning. Tim wiggled closer and kissed Jason before running his hand up and through his hair, lingering slightly on the white streak that accented his forehead.

Jason inhaled deeply and opened his eyes. He smiled when his eyes focused on Tim in front of him who was still running his hands through his hair. Jason pulled Tim closer and gently slid their lips together, sucking gently on his bottom lip. He reveled in the feeling of Tim beside him and the taste of him on his tongue. Jason pulled his lips away from Tim’s mouth and leaned their foreheads together, sighing in contentment.

“Good morning,” Tim murmured.

“Morning.” Jason opened his eyes and stared into Tim’s. “Breakfast?” he asked.

Tim hummed in agreement, but made no move to get out of bed and instead of loosening his grip, Jason tightened his arm around Tim’s waist to try and bring him closer. Tim giggled, but snuggled in to Jason’s chest and started kissing everywhere and anywhere he could place his lips: Jason’s chin, his neck, shoulders, even all of the scars that littered his chest. Jason laughed at Tim’s behavior and the other man grinned. Jason slid his hand into Tim’s hair and pulled his face back to give him one last toe-curling kiss.

With a groan, Jason rolled out of bed and stretched, muscles rippling under his skin as it was pulled taut. He walked over to their dresser and pulled out two pairs of briefs, one for him and one for Tim. Jason threw Tim’s pair at his head, he caught them of course, and pulled on his own. Tim scooted out of bed and pulled on his briefs. He walked past Jason and squeaked when he slapped his butt.

“Jason!” Tim exclaimed, indignant.

Jason laughed and kissed Tim on the top of his head. “You can’t expect me to not do that when you’re only wearing your underwear.”

“Let’s just go make breakfast,” Tim grumbled, trying to sound annoyed when in reality he’s always pleased with the attention he receives from his boyfriend. The two of them walked out of their bedroom, down the hallway and into the kitchen. Tim went to start the coffee maker while Jason opened the fridge.

“Hey, babe…how does French toast sound? We have all the stuff and you don’t have to go in today,” Jason suggested.

“Sounds great!” Tim exclaimed, happy that he would get to eat more of Jason’s amazing cooking.

Jason smiled and began stacking the necessary ingredients on the counter: eggs, milk, vanilla, and bread. Tim left Jason to work on the breakfast and moved to dig through his bag that he put on the kitchen island the night before. He pulled out the reports from Marty and Frank along with his laptop. Tim moved to sit on one of the bar stools so that he was facing Jason’s back as he cooked their breakfast. Jason looked over his shoulder and smiled when he found Tim watching him.

Tim turned his attention to the reports in front of him. They were pretty basic to go through. Marty and Frank’s project wasn’t anything groundbreaking or mathematically challenging with regards to new technology. It was all the basic findings for their tests and how the study was progressing for the new tech. This time around, even if the reports had been put together hastily, Marty and Frank were making progress. They were developing a new set of codes for building security to add extra protection. All of their tests seemed to be headed in the right direction, but the two of them could still use a handful of more trials. Tim made a few notes and suggestions for how to proceed and returned the reports to his bag.

Tim looked up at the sound of a coffee mug scraping across the counter. Jason followed the mug with a plate of French toast. Tim hadn’t even realized that he had finished cooking. Jason picked up his own plate and took the stool next to Tim at the island. Jason waited for Tim to take his first bite as always when he cooked for him, and once Tim let out a moan of appreciation, he was able to enjoy his own breakfast.

“What’s on the schedule for today?” Jason asked in between mouthfuls of toast.

“Well,” Tim started, and took a sip of coffee to wash down the remnants of food. “I have to go through the data that was collected yesterday from W.E. and then I have to meet with Tak, Axe, and Big B to go over the protocol for tonight. I need to make sure that they don’t try to do anything stupid at the gala.”

“Want me to hang out at W.E. to keep them from showing up?”

Tim shook his head. “No, you should go out and patrol tonight since you stayed in last night. They’ll find it strange if you start missing a lot. Besides, it would look suspicious to Bruce and Dick if you were hanging around since they hadn’t reached out to you first. And we can’t risk them uncovering our connection, especially when they already know that you know Red.” Tim looked up at Jason. “If something happens, I’ll take care of myself without drawing attention.”

Jason nodded and went back to eating, finishing up the last of his toast. He drained the glass of orange juice and picked up both his and Tim’s dishes, moving them to the sink. While he started on the washing, Tim picked up his laptop and moved over to the couch. He booted the device up and opened the data log from the previous day. Tim moved through the data quickly, logging the necessary financial information in his various spreadsheets. It had been one of the slower days for W.E. Bruce probably didn’t have a very intense case as Batman at the moment, so there wasn’t much being entered in his personal files that Tim could peek into, or he was focused on Red, but Bruce would be hard pressed to find information on him.

Jason sat down next to Tim as he wrapped up the last of the logs. He slung an arm around Tim, allowing him to snuggle into his side. Tim exited out of the compiled data and opened his shipping plans for the new rounds of drugs and ammo. Everything was in order for the next few days and a large shipment should be arriving the next night. Tim prepped the auto messaging system to send out coordinates and assignments to the guys bringing in the hauls.

“When do you have that meeting?”

“Not until this afternoon,” Tim said, shifting further into Jason.

“Anything you want to do?” he asked, rubbing Tim’s arm.

“Not particularly. I honestly thought it would take more time to go through all of my work, but I got that done pretty quickly.”

“Feel like a movie?”

Tim shut his laptop and leapt off the couch towards the shelves of DVDs, making Jason laugh.

Their day was spent going through movie after movie. Despite having a couch large enough to fit a soccer team, Jason and Tim spent their time in various positions cuddled together, sharing kisses and warmth and basking in each other’s care. The only time either of them left the other’s company was to go to the bathroom, get drink refills, or when Jason made lunch for the two of them. They’d just finished the second Avengers movie when Tim groaned and pulled himself off the couch. He stretched and walked back into their bedroom with Jason trailing behind.

Tim pulled out a pair of white wash skinny jeans and pulled those on over his briefs since him and Jason hadn’t bothered to get dressed earlier. He walked into the closet and looked over the array of button-downs and sweaters that lined the wall. He decided on a white button-down and a pastel purple sweater, adding his glasses and combat boots to complete the outfit. Tim walked out of the closet to find Jason in full body armor seated on the bed. He already had his domino mask on, but Tim still knew that his eyes were roving over his clothes.

Tim jerked his head towards the door and walked into the hallway with Jason behind him. They entered the elevator and rode it to the floor above. Unlike the night before, there was no thrum of music or deep vibration of bass echoing in the hallway. It was peacefully quiet and when the two men pushed through the doors, the club had the air of business. There was no haze of smoke, the lights were up, and furniture filled the spaces that people occupied the night before with the flow of their bodies. Tim took his seat on his favorite black, leather couch that sat in the center of the club. It allowed everything to revolve around him, placing him at the center of Gotham’s underworld. Jason took up a place behind him, allowing him to intervene if any backlash came from those who weren’t happy or were trying to tear apart everything Tim had built.

Tak, Axe, and Big B pushed through the double doors with a flourish. They always tried to make themselves have a presence, but making grand gestures and drawing attention to yourself by being loud didn’t give you a presence. Presence came from confidence and determination, knowing what you want. The three men approached Tim and waited in front of the opposite couch. Tim smiled and gestured for them to sit. He’d taught them well.

“As the three of you know,” Tim began. “Bruce Wayne is hosting a gala at Wayne Enterprises this evening. I know all of you are going to be on the streets tonight. However, none of you are to break up the gala. Don’t even think about it. Don’t go near it. Nothing must disturb the festivities.” Tim sneered at the last word.

“But, Red!” Axe exclaimed, standing from his seat. Jason tensed behind Tim. “Tonight’s gala is the perfect opportunity to send a message to everyone in Gotham. They can finally learn just what is going on and how much power we have over them.”

“This isn’t the time. Besides, with such an important event taking place, Batman and the other masks will undoubtedly be present to watch over the guests. I don’t care how much wealth is concentrated in one place, none of you are to interfere. Do I make myself clear?”

Big B spoke up next. “Red-“

“Do I make myself clear?” Tim said firmly.

Axe sighed in defeat and resumed his seat. All three of them nodded while staring at the floor.

“Good. We have two shipments coming in tomorrow night. Be ready.”

The three men nodded again.

“Excellent. Now go.” The group got up and left far more subdued compared to how they had come in. Tim rolled his eyes.

“Well that went smoothly,” Jason said and rubbed Tim’s back.

“As smoothly as can be expected from them. If you run across them while on patrol, feel free to check on what they’re up to and make sure they’re not anywhere they shouldn’t be.” He leaned back into Jason’s touch and got a shoulder squeeze.

“Is anyone else stopping by?”

“No. Those three were the only ones I expected. Everyone else got their information sent over the encrypted line already.” He checked the time. “I should probably start getting ready for the gala tonight.” Tim sighed and got up from his seat, falling into step with Jason. He hardly paid attention to the trip back down to their apartment and was a little surprised when he found himself back in their bedroom. Tim shook himself and walked into the closet. He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his sweater and button-down.

Tim walked into the bathroom and started the shower. He stripped out of his pants and briefs and climbed under the hot spray, allowing it to relax his muscles. He sighed as all of the tension washed away and grabbed his shampoo, squirting some into his hand. Tim washed quickly, the soap suds getting sucked down the drain almost as soon as they appeared. Tim shut off the water and toweled off, letting the steam swirl around him in ethereal wisps that made his body seem unreal. He wrapped the towel loosely around his waist and walked back into the bedroom and to his closet.

Tim moved to where his suits were located. He had a few of the standard black suits, but most of his collection consisted of pastel colors. Tim decided on a pastel, mint green pants and jacket set, a white dress shirt, and a black bowtie. He paired the entire ensemble with black oxfords and his charcoal gray watch. The green was one of his favorites, but the smoky grays and blues offered the best compliments to his eyes.

Tim walked back into the living room and found Jason perched at the kitchen island, still in full gear. Tim assumed he would leave a little after he did to start his patrol. He walked over and gave Jason a simple peck on the lips.

“See you later,” Tim said.

“Try and have fun, babe. I know how boring these things can get.”

Tim smiled. “I guess you better give me something to look forward to for being a good boy and acting polite at the gala,” he joked.

Jason grinned wolfishly. He leaned in to whisper in Tim’s ear, breath ghosting over the skin causing Tim to shiver. “Be a good boy for me Tim, and I’ll fuck you so much that when you wake up tomorrow, some of my come will still slide out of your sweet little ass.”

Tim whimpered. “I guess I should get going then and show you what a good little boy I am,” he answered, voice breathy. He pulled away reluctantly and headed to the elevator and rode down to the garage, trying to keep his body from responding to Jason’s words. It wouldn’t do to show up at a gala with an erection. Tim picked up the keys to his black Ferrari and got in the sleek car. The leather was warm and hugged him like an old friend. Tim started the car and listened to the purr of the engine that signaled the raw power that was buried beneath the hood. Tim smiled and tore out of the garage and onto the streets of Gotham towards W.E.

The drive was an easy one until he got to the streets surrounding the skyscraper. Traffic was heavy there with both the elite members of society, the press, as well as the groups of civilians who were dying to be remotely close to the rich and powerful. Tim slowly eased through the crowds and cars and pulled up to the paparazzi lined red carpet. A valet rushed over to open his door and Tim floated smoothly out of his car to the flashes of cameras. He waved at the crowd and glided up the carpet and through the doors of W.E.

This gala wasn’t any different than the countless others Tim had attended since his employment with the company began. It was extravagant, filled with old men and women only concerned with their personal expenses, who they played golf and bridge with, and how to keep away from the impoverished individuals of Gotham, as though they were some kind of disease and not actual people. The champagne was too expensive for such a cheap taste and the chamber orchestra played the same set twice each gala, every gala.

Tim moved through the crowds easily and even grabbed a glass of champagne as a tray passed, he had to keep up appearances after all. The front entrance was already crowded with people and Tim was sure that Bruce would probably be making his opening remarks soon enough. A few couples were already dancing near the orchestra, leaning into each other effortlessly. Tim saw Bruce moving through the crowd towards the raised platform and rolled his eyes. At least after this, Tim wasn’t obligated to stay the rest of the night.

Bruce positioned himself in front of the mic and flashed his professional Bruce Wayne smile. “Good evening, everyone. I am pleased that all of you were able to make it here for another charity gala. I’d like to thank those present who have already made contributions and for the rest of you to join in as well with a small monetary donation if you are able. I implore all of you to enjoy yourselves this evening.” Bruce finished by raising his glass of champagne in a toast that was mimicked by everyone else besides Tim.

“Tim!” Said man looked to his right and found Jackson hurrying towards him. He paused when he reached Tim’s side. “How are you doing this evening? Enjoying the gala?”

Tim’s gaze turned cold. “Yes, thank you. I’m doing fine.”

“Would you like to dance?” he said, gesturing to the couples who had taken up the correct steps again.

  
 “No. I’m perfectly fi-“ Glass shattered and Tim whipped around at the sound of screaming voices.

“NOBODY MOVE!” Tim knew that voice. And Tim was not happy about hearing that voice at all. He pushed through the mass of bodies who immediately began pushing against him. Someone in Axe’s group started firing shots or all of them did, Tim wasn’t sure, really. He pushed against the flow of bodies, anger building the longer this continued. Screams filled the air, people tripped over themselves, and a particularly rotund socialite sent Tim sprawling in front of the group.

The three men looked down at Tim with wide grins as he stood and brushed his suit off. The sound of a grappling hook made Tim pause. He looked over his shoulder and witnessed Nightwing’s grand entrance into W.E. making Tim scowl, this was not what he needed. An arm appeared like a vice around Tim’s waist as the shots renewed in their intensity.

“What the he-“ Tim’s protest was cut off as he was swept out of the building. He struggled against the grip on him and was about to throw an elbow into Tak’s face when he heard Nightwing in pursuit. Tim stared over his shoulder and mentally cursed when he spotted Batman further back. Big B fired at the approaching figures, hopelessly attempting to shoot the two vigilantes down. Tim was jostled and hit his head against Tak’s when the group quickened the pace. They turned into the back alleys, hoping to gain some distance, not considering the fact that’s where Batman and Nightwing had the most control.

Tim rubbed the side of his head and began to squirm, trying to get out of this increasingly frustrating situation. The group was backed into the alley by the approaching figures and Axe dropped Tim in a heap on the ground. He landed in a disgusting puddle of water, dirtying his suit and the rough concrete ripped holes in the fabric. Tim looked up and in a matter of seconds, Batman had loosed three batarangs that hit each of the men. He landed as the others tried to regain some form of coherence, scrambling for guns and footing, but mostly flailing helplessly.

Nightwing dropped in behind Tim. “Need a hand?” he asked, grinning. Tim took the outstretched limb and was pulled to his feet and into the other man’s chest. He grinned and secured his hold around Tim’s waist, keeping him close, much to Tim’s dismay. He fired off his grapple gun and whisked the pair away to safety.

As much as Tim hated the vigilantes for always getting in his way, he had to admit that using a grapple gun had its perks. It was definitely the most exciting thing he’d done all day. Nightwing dropped him off at W.E. to the flash of cameras. He turned and waved politely at the gathered Paparazzi, something that Tim was not happy about. The media attention was not what he needed, especially looking as dirty and disheveled as he was.

Tim cleared his throat, getting Nightwing’s attention. “Thank you for saving me. I really appreciate it.”

Nightwing grinned. “Just doin’ my job. Stay safe now and keep away from criminals.”

Tim watched as Nightwing took to the roofs and walked over to where the valet was waiting with his car. He had several things he needed to do and three specific people that had earned some of Tim’s less pleasant attention. Tim slid into his car, hoping his dirty suit wouldn’t damage the leather too much. He pulled away from the building and turned towards home, using the drive to plan exactly what he was going to do to the group for disobeying orders.

Tim was surprised to find the three men already waiting for him in the back conference room of The Golden Palace. He would’ve expected them to take their time coming there or not show up at all. Looks like they weren’t as dense as Tim had thought. Not that that was going to spare them from Tim’s punishment. The three men were uneasy for obvious reasons, being faced with an angry Tim who has yet to speak does that to a person.

Tim approached Axe first, and promptly gave him a right hook to the face. He staggered backwards, clutching his nose that was now gushing blood. Tim sent a roundhouse into Tak’s ribs, earning him a satisfying crunch, and kicked Big B in the gut, followed with a punch to the face, knocking him on his ass. Tim approached Axe again, kicked him in the groin (he’s not smart enough to wear a cup) and swept his legs out from underneath him, leaving him a writhing mess on the floor with Big B. Tim spun around and was faced with Tak who was making a valiant effort to not piss Tim off even more while trying to breathe through the pain of his broken ribs. Tim grinned, knowing that the only way to make up, even partially, for his fuck up was for him to take a jump kick to the face. He executed that one flawlessly.

Tim looked over the three men moaning and clutching various body parts on the floor. Pools of blood were already forming around Axe and Tak from broken noses and split lips. “I told you not to interfere at the gala and what did you do? Fucking interfered. Whose idea was it?” Tim said venomously. None of the men answered, both afraid of what Tim would do to each of them if they talked and worried what he might do to the person who made the decision.

Tim snarled. He slammed his foot down onto Big B’s hand, noticeably breaking it in several places, making the man howl in pain. Tim gave the other side of Tak’s ribs a kick, breaking them in a few more places as well. He turned back to Axe and brought his foot back to kick the man in the stomach when the conference room doors slammed open. Tim looked over his shoulder to find Jason standing in the doorway, chest heaving and looking royally pissed. Tim grinned wolfishly, released the kick into Axe’s stomach and walked over to Jason. He pulled the gun out of Jason’s holster and returned to his place over the three men. The group stilled, each man hoping they wouldn’t be the one who was going to get shot.

“Whose idea was it? Don’t make me ask again.” Jason came up behind Tim and placed his hands on Tim’s hips. The gesture didn’t throw off Tim’s perfect stance and handling of the gun whatsoever.

“God, babe…the sight of you right now is so hot,” Jason said, running his hands up and down Tim’s sides. “You look so good like this, your form is perfect. I should give you a gun more often. All you have to do is pull the trigger.” Axe, Tak, and Big B started shaking their heads frantically at Jason’s words. Jason placed a hand on Tim’s stomach and stepped flush against his back. “Go on, Tim. Shoot them so they can’t fuck up with your business anymore.”

Tim huffed, obviously listening to Jason’s words, but remaining unaffected by his ministrations, knowing he was just being a shit. “I don’t have time for you fuckwits.” He fired off three rounds, hitting each man in the thigh. “Let that be a lesson not to cross me, and if you ever try to pull that shit again, those shots will get lodged several inches north.” Tim stepped out of Jason’s hold and threw the gun back at him. He walked out of the room barely catching what Jason said behind him.

“Buck up boys, ‘tis only a flesh wound.”

Tim stalked downstairs to their apartment and immediately started pulling off his suit when he walked through the door. He left a trail of clothing as he made his way to the shower. He positioned himself under the hot spray with a huff, irritated that something so stupid could have happened and ready to get the grime off his skin. Tim furiously shampooed his hair and scrubbed at himself. He was satisfied with finally being clean, but still couldn’t shake his anger at what had happened.

Tim walked into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist to find Jason lazing in bed in his briefs.

“How are you doing, Babygirl?” he asked, innocently.

“Better, now that I’m clean, but I can’t believe those guys! They specifically went against my instructions and they know the consequences for doing that. Not to mention the fact that Batman and Nightwing came to rescue me. My face is going to be all over the news and I’m supposed to be staying under the radar!” Tim had started pacing during his rant, but a hand on his hip stopped him.

“Well, I think I know something that’ll help work out your frustrations.” Jason slid his hand over Tim’s stomach and kissed behind Tim’s ear and down his neck. He bit and sucked on Tim’s shoulder as his hands removed the towel and tossed it aside. “You were such a good boy tonight Tim.”

Tim shivered and leaned back into Jason as the other man’s hands roamed over his skin. He could already feel Jason’s erection pressing into him, making himself start to harden as well. “Was I, Jay? Was I a good boy?”

Jason slid his hand down and started to stroke Tim lazily, bringing him to full hardness. He kissed the side of Tim’s head. “So good. You played the part of the innocent victim so well and then gave those thugs the punishment they deserved. And the way you looked holding my gun…soooo sexy.” Tim moaned at the praise, needing to hear the words Jason was lavishing him with. “Remember my promise from earlier?” The sound of a cap popping was distant and muffled to Tim’s ears. He was zeroed in on the words coming out of Jason’s mouth.

“Y-yes,” he breathed.

“Well,” Jason said, dipping one finger into Tim’s hole and slowly thrusting in and out. “You did such a good job that I’m going to make your reward even better.” Tim started grinding against the single digit, prompting Jason to add another, which he did. “You’re going to fuck yourself on my dick while I watch. Once you’re done with that and filled with my come,” Jason inserted a third finger, “I’m going to plug up that sweet little hole of yours and leave my come in you all night.”

Tim moaned and pushed back onto Jason’s fingers that were lighting him up inside. His cock was achingly hard now and he needed Jason inside of him. Needed to feel his warm come in his body that would stay warm overnight. Jason tugged Tim over to the bed, fingers still inside him. Tim whined when Jason pulled out his fingers. He divested himself of his underwear quickly and lubed up his dick with a few strokes. He laid down on the bed and propped his head on one of the pillows.

Tim was quick to follow Jason and was already positioning Jason’s dick at his entrance before the other man could even blink. Tim sank down slowly, sighing at the feel of Jason filling him up so perfectly. Jason groaned as Tim’s tight heat hugged him and when Tim started to move it was almost too much. Once Tim was seated to the hilt, he splayed his palms across Jason’s stomach to keep his balance. He was already panting and his cock was leaking precome. Tim raised himself up slowly, enjoying every inch of skin that slid out of him, until only the tip of Jason’s dick remained inside.

Tim slid down just as slowly, absolutely torturing Jason with his pace, but Tim wasn’t here to take things slow. After raising himself up once more, Tim allowed gravity to slam his body back down, sending electricity through his body. He threw his head back with a gasp. He built up his pace slowly, working him and his boyfriend up in a frenzy of heat and lust.

When both of them were nearly on the brink of losing control, Jason slightly bridged his hips, changing the angle for Tim. On his next downward thrust, Tim saw white and clenched around Jason as his prostate was hit. Each thrust electrified Tim. He couldn’t have contained the gasps and moans even if he had tried. He was so far gone that he was quickly losing his ability to move in a coherent rhythm.

“Jay…I’m-I’m gonna…” Tim gasped.

“Come for me, Babygirl,” Jason grit out. Tim went rigid at the pet name, clenching tightly around Jason as come splattered his chest white. Tim continued to impale himself on Jason’s cock and the added pressure had Jason following Tim in a matter of moments.

As Tim slowed his movements, Jason flipped them on the bed so he was still inside Tim, but could reach into the drawer of the side table. Jason pulled out a butt plug and lubed it quickly as Tim still laid in a boneless heap on the mattress, chest heaving and eyes glazed over. He pulled out and slid the butt plug into the place his cock had occupied seconds before. Jason ran his fingers through Tim’s hair and brought their lips together.

“Feel okay?” he asked, hoping the plug wasn’t too much.

Tim nodded, still dazed from his orgasm. “I can feel your come inside me, Jay,” he said softly, almost reverently.

Jason grinned. “Yeah? How does it feel?”

“Amazing.”

Jason chuckled. He pulled himself out of bed and retrieved a damp washcloth from the bathroom. He wiped off Tim’s stomach and deposited it with Tim’s towel in the hamper. Jason crawled back in bed and pulled Tim, sated and exhausted, underneath the covers with him. He was looking forward to pulling that plug out in the morning and fucking Tim into the mattress, adding more come to what was already inside his boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter was satisfactory. Thanks for reading.
> 
> I appreciate everyone who's left kudos and comments, I love reading your feedback.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr: tumblr.com/my-one-love-is-music
> 
> Let me know what you thought of the chapter!
> 
> <3  
> ~MOLIM


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter than the previous couple, but this really got to a good stopping point and I covered everything that I wanted to so here ya go! 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos and comments I appreciate it! 
> 
> Heads up, this is probably going to be my last chapter before I leave for Japan on the 19. I'm planning on updating Unmasked once more before I leave as well, but if I manage to get another one of these written then you'll get a happy surprise, but don't expect it! After that, I get back June 4 and if I haven't started writing the next update before I leave I'll start writing it then.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Tim woke up far too hot. They were sweaty and panting and had absolutely no idea what was going on. Was their apartment on fire or something? They struggled to move, finding that their body was already wound tight with some sort of sensation. Tim struggled to prop themself up on their elbows and looked down to Jason sucking greedily on their cock.

                “Jay?” Tim questioned. “Not that I’m complaining here. I’m really not, but what are you doing?”

                Jason pulled off Tim, making them whine ever so slightly. “I thought I’d wake you up with a little surprise. Besides, I couldn’t resist the little sighs and moans coming from you as you shifted around on that plug all night.”

                A flood of memories from the night before washed through Tim’s mind. They grinned and settled back onto the bed, suddenly becoming hyper aware of the plug still in their ass. They splayed their legs apart with knees bent, inviting Jason to take control. Jason grinned and clambered over their body to capture Tim’s lips now that they were very much awake. He kissed down their jaw and their neck, drawing contented sighs from them. Jason paused to mouth and suck at Tim’s pulse, earning him a shudder of pleasure.

                Jason moved his lips down Tim’s body slowly. He left bite marks on Tim’s collar bone and harsh red hickies across their chest. Jason sucked on one of their nipples, provoking shuddering gasps and whines from deep within their throat. He moved to the other one and gave it the same treatment, making Tim shake and pant beneath him with need. They tangled their fingers in Jason’s hair as he continued to move down their body. He continued to suck and nip across the skin before pausing at their navel.

                Jason circled his tongue around the outer rim before closing his lips around the surrounding skin and sucking up another bruise, making Tim arch their back. He kissed his way down Tim’s hips to the base of their shaft. He licked a long stripe from base to tip making them gasp.

                “J-jay…stop…if you do that again, ‘m gonna come,” Tim panted.

                Jason smirked. “What if I don’t let you come at all then?” he asked, sitting up and looking at Tim like a predator. Tim visibly shuddered at Jason’s words. Jason caged them in with his arms. “I’ll have you begging me so hard to let you come while I fill you up with even more of my own.” Tim whined and clutched at Jason’s arms where they were positioned rigidly next to their body. Tim’s whole body was shaking with need, lust coursing through their veins and the promises, both spoken and unspoken, that Jason communicated.

                Jason reached one hand between their bodies and gave the plug a little twist making Tim throw their head back with a moan. He reached for the lube that he’d put next to them on the bed before Tim had woken up. Jason poured a generous amount of lube on his hand and gave himself a few good strokes, not that he could get any harder after hearing all of the wonderful sounds that came from Tim. Tim was watching him without hesitation, unabashed by Jason’s actions.

                Jason reached for the plug. “Ready?” he asked.

                Tim nodded, watching him through hooded eyes. “Don’t hold back.”

                He grinned wolfishly. “Never do.” Jason pulled the plug from Tim’s hole, making them whimper, but quickly replaced it with a whole new feeling. He slid in easily, Tim still open and stretched after several hours of sleep thanks to the plug. He moaned at the feeling of his own come moving around his cock. Tim mewled, sharing in the delicious feeling that Jason was experiencing. Some of it had even gotten pushed out when he slid inside. Jason started up a slow pace, letting both him and Tim get used to the feeling.

                Soon enough, Tim was wiggling their hips to encourage Jason to go faster. They weren’t shy about hiding their pleasure, especially when Jason snapped his hips and hit their prostate, nearly making them scream. He maintained the angle, forcing Tim’s hands to scrabble for some sort of purchase and settled on raking their fingernails down Jason’s back. The closer they got to their orgasm, the more high-pitched Tim became. Jason was relentless, slamming into Tim and expertly hitting their prostate in order to send electricity slicing down their spine with each thrust.

                Jason could feel himself on the verge of coming. His rhythm was quickly losing its precision, but it was by no means erratic or half-hearted. He wrapped his hand around Tim’s cock making them jolt from the unexpected sensation. Jason started stroking in time with his thrusts, urging Tim to the edge when he already felt as though he was about to explode.

                “Come for me, Tim,” Jason said as his orgasm crashed through his body like a tidal wave. Tim gasped, eyes wrenched shut as their body spasmed with the force of their orgasm. Jason continued to ride through his own and milked the last bit of come from Tim’s cock. Jason only pulled out when Tim began to squirm from the overstimulation. Even then he watched in awe as the white fluid spilled from Tim’s hole. It pooled below them on the bed and Tim shivered from the feeling of Jason’s come sliding out of his body.

                Tim’s eyes were still closed from the force of their orgasm and Jason leaned down to give him a kiss. “Okay, Babe?” he murmured.

                Their eyes snapped open, startlingly alight with an internal fire. “Okay? OKAY?!” Tim asked, mouth opened in shock. “I’m more than okay.” They grabbed Jason’s neck and pulled him in for a searing kiss that was hungry and desperate. “God…” they breathed. “God, I just…you…” They kissed him again. “You are so fucking incredible.” Tim leaned their head against Jason’s. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

                Jason smiled and placed one of his hands over Tim’s where it was resting on his neck. “I think I should be the one asking you that.” The two lovers stared into each other’s eyes, enjoying their moment together and trying to savor it as long as possible, until Tim started squirming of course. Jason chuckled. “Let’s get you in the shower, hmm?”

                Tim looked sheepish and embarrassed, but nodded. Jason jumped over Tim and landed on the floor. He picked them up and carried them bridal style to the bathroom making them laugh. They relaxed into his hold and wrapped their arms around his neck. Jason looked down fondly at Tim as he moved through the room and reluctantly set them back on their feet in the bathroom so he could turn on the shower. While he checked the temperature, Tim wrapped their arms around his waist, hugging him tightly from behind.

                Jason chuckled and looked over his shoulder, smiling at his partner. He turned in their embrace and wrapped an arm around their shoulder. He stepped backwards and pulled them with him into the shower and underneath the warm spray. Tim relaxed in Jason’s hold, his limbs became heavier as the warm water soothed any tension that might have remained from the previous day. Jason sighed and ran his fingers through Tim’s hair, pushing the water through the long, dark strands. They leaned into his touch and smiled, enjoying the attention.

                Jason reached for the shampoo and put a large dollop in his hand. He lathered up the product and moved his fingers through Tim’s hair. He moved his hands in circular motions allowing his fingernails to occasionally scrape against Tim’s scalp to help work away the dead skin. Once Jason was satisfied he allowed Tim to step under the water and rinse his hair as he used the remaining shampoo on himself. He took Tim’s spot underneath the spray once Tim had finished and worked the suds from his hair.

                While Jason was rinsing his hair, Tim took the washcloth and worked the body wash into a nice lather. They pulled Jason toward them and rubbed the cloth in slow, lazy circles across his skin. He closed his eyes at the rhythmic sensation and hummed in appreciation. It was almost like a meditation, the feeling of the motion, the sound of the water hitting the floor, all combining into a symphony of peace. If the experience could be bottled, Jason had half a mind to think that it would be labeled tranquility.

                Tim moved down his chest and stomach, carving a slow path down his legs. When they were finished, they stood and had Jason turned around to allow the spray to wash the soap away as Tim worked on his back. Jason sighed at the gentle caress of Tim’s hands, not even bothered when the soap stung the harsh marks across his back. He looked over his shoulder and saw Tim smiling ever so slightly. Their expression full of so much love and care. They finished far too soon for Jason’s taste, but he obediently stepped backwards under the spray to allow the soap to wash off, never taking his eyes off Tim.

                Jason held out his hand and took the washcloth from Tim. He pulled them towards him and turned them so their back was to him. Jason reached around and began to rub circles on Tim’s chest. They sighed and leaned back into Jason as he worked the lather over their long, lean limbs. Jason took his time washing them. He enjoyed every sigh and pleased sound that came from Tim’s mouth, never wanting those to end or displease them.

                When Jason was finished washing Tim, he pulled them underneath the spray with them and captured their lips in an unassuming kiss. They stood together underneath the stream of water simply enjoying each other’s presence. Jason kept Tim close to him and rubbed his hands over their skin pouring all of his love into each gentle caress and touch.

                Tim stared up at Jason, eyes shining bright. Their stomach growled. Tim frowned and Jason laughed. He doubled over and was clutching desperately at his side as though his kidneys were about to pop out of his side. Tim smacked Jason on the back of the head.

                “It’s not funny,” they pouted.

                “Come on, I’ll make breakfast,” he wheezed.

                Tim tried to look indignant as they watched Jason who was still doubled over with tears streaming from his eyes, but they soon started laughing too. They were quiet at first, only a few subdued giggles managed to force their way past Tim’s barriers, but soon enough, Tim was hunched over as well, leaning against Jason as the two of them clutched at their sides, desperately trying to suck in oxygen between chuckles, chortles, and cackles.

                Tim managed to regain their composure first, well, as best they could while they were trying to wheeze in the air their body was deprived of. They shut of the water and reached around the shower door for a towel. Tim toweled off Jason’s hair. He was still bent over, hands on his knees, trying to regain his poise. He looked up through his damp hair at Tim who had moved on to drying their own hair. He grinned and stood to his full height, taking over for Tim.

                Once sufficiently dry, the two left the bathroom and returned to their bedroom. Jason handed Tim a pair of boxers before putting on his own. While he slid a pair of sweats on over his boxers, Tim grabbed one of Jason’s shirts and threw that on before walking down the hallway towards the kitchen. Jason followed them and started going through the cabinets. It was surprisingly later than he thought, almost noon. Jason found two boxes of frozen pizza in the fridge and placed those on the counter. He used his foot to push the freezer drawer shut and turned his attention to the oven, preheating it to the correct temperature.

                Jason opened the two boxes and pulled the saran wrap from the pizzas. After the oven beeped, signaling that it was ready, he put the pizzas directly on the rack and turned his attention to Tim who already had a mug of coffee in their hands. They smirked over the rim of their mug, not abashed in the slightest for having been caught watching. Jason just rolled his eyes and hopped up onto the kitchen island. Tim maintained their place leaning up against the opposite counter.

                “What’s on the agenda today?” Jason asked.

                Tim swallowed a sip of their drink before speaking. “Nothing much this afternoon. I’m just going to double check that everything is in order for the drop tonight. I expect a pretty relaxed day and then we just have to oversee the drop tonight.”

                Jason nodded, not taking his eyes off Tim. They just stared right back and raised an eyebrow.

                “What?” they asked, suspicious.

                “Nothing.” Jason watched as Tim finished their drink. He jumped from the counter as they turned to place the mug in the sink and grabbed them around the waist.

                “Jason!” they squeaked indignantly. Jason cackled and lifted them from the floor. He ran to the living room as Tim kicked their feet and collapsed onto the couch with them in a heap. Tim wiggled around in his hold until they were facing Jason. They propped their elbows on Jason’s shoulders and tangled their fingers in his hair. He hummed in appreciation and Tim smiled softly.

                “Oh yeah. Pronouns?” Jason asked.

                “They/them,” they whispered.

                Jason rubbed his hand soothingly across Tim’s back, utterly losing himself in Tim’s bottomless eyes. Their eyes were full of sparks of emotion. They were shining with happiness and love. Jason could look at those eyes forever. Tim cocked their head to the side, causing some of their hair to fall in their eyes. Jason reached up and tucked it behind their ear, rubbing his thumb across their cheek. Tim’s hands moved to cup his face and Jason turned his head, giving one of Tim’s palms a kiss. They rested their head on his chest and sighed contentedly, allowing their body to relax completely against Jason’s.

                The oven timer went off and Jason groaned. Tim clambered off Jason who made noises of protest as he got off the couch. He moved quickly to the kitchen and silenced the oven. He pulled out two cookie sheets before opening the oven door. A blast of heat escaped and wafted over Jason’s face as he retrieved the pizzas. He used his knee to close the door to the now empty oven and placed the pizza-loaded cookie sheets on top of burners. He switched off the oven and pulled the pizza cutter from the drawer and quickly sliced the circles into eighths.

                Jason loaded up two plates with pizza and carried them over to the couch. He set them on the coffee table and returned to the kitchen for two glasses and a bottle of soda. When he got back, Tim had already picked up one of the plates and was working their way through a slice. Jason rolled his eyes, but poured two glasses of soda before starting on his own plate. Tim leaned into Jason’s side and turned on the television as Jason set his plate in his lap and wrapped one arm around them. All the news channels were covering the break-in at the W.E. gala the night before making Tim roll their eyes that there was nothing good to watch.

                The two spent the day like that. Eating pizza and flipping through T.V. channels. At one point Tim even brought out their laptop and was running through their business checks while Jason pulled them into his lap. They cuddled and enjoyed themselves. However, no matter how relaxing their day was spent, Tim could do nothing for the excitement that continued to build during the day as happened whenever a supplies drop was scheduled.

                Tim was so jittery with excitement that when they needed to get changed in order to head to the docks, they were practically vibrating in their seat. They jumped off the couch much to Jason’s amusement and nearly ran back to their bedroom. They stripped out of their shirt quickly and grabbed their black Kevlar suit. Tim pulled on their suit quickly and slid their feet into their boots. They placed a domino mask over their eyes and strapped their belt around their waist. They were such a flurry of movement that they didn’t even notice Jason suiting up beside them and laughing at their excitement.

                Tim grinned at Jason when they were finished dressing. The two walked out of the apartment together and rode the elevator down to the garage. They strode over to Jason’s bike and climbed on, Tim wrapped their arms tightly around Jason’s waist. Jason revved the bike and took off, bringing the two of them out of the darkness and onto the streets of Gotham. He swung towards the docks and navigated the streets with practiced ease.

                Jason stowed the bike behind the closest warehouse to the drop. Tim led the way around the warehouse and to the expanse of pavement where their men were waiting. The various groups all nodded respectfully to Tim. They nodded back and waited as their connection stepped from the shadows of the ship.

                “Red,” Zax called.

                “Zax,” they responded. “I assume you have what we agreed upon?”

                Zax signaled to the ship behind him. Out of the shadows emerged several groups of men pushed crates. He had them pause just behind him. “Before I give you the goods, do you have the money?”

                Tim rolled their eyes. “Honestly, how many times have we done business?” They pulled an envelope from the belt slung around their hips. “Here is the envelope with the instructions for cash pickup at the specified bank. Hood,” said man stepped forward. Tim handed the envelope to him and he moved to make the trade-off.

                A batarang whizzed through the air and lodged itself in the concrete at Jason’s feet. “Shit,” he hissed. Everyone whirled to face the roof of the opposite building. Atop it stood Batman, Nightwing, and Robin, various capes billowing in the wind. Many people would have found the look threatening, but Tim only felt exasperation that they were so rudely interrupting their business.

                “What do you think you’re doing, Hood?” Batman’s voice rang out among the buildings.

                “I don’t believe I asked for your opinion, B,” Jason quipped.

                “Stop this, Hood. You and Red can’t keep this up forever,” Nightwing added.

                Jason tucked the envelope into his jacket. “Try and stop us.”

                All three men jumped from the roof and descended on the group. Zax tried to run back to the ship for refuge, but Batman went after him first. He took the man down easily, after all, Zax wasn’t much of a fighter, especially when he was desperately trying to run from an opponent. After leaving him sprawled on the ground, Batman turned and started taking down the other gang members one at a time. Tim watched as Nightwing ran towards Jason almost gleefully, but Robin held back slightly in order to observe the situation.

                Nightwing launched himself with the use of several flips and jumps in an attempt to tackle Jason. He evaded easily, rolling from Nightwing’s path, used to Nightwing’s fighting style. He didn’t pull out his guns and was more focused on keeping them all distracted and away from Tim. Jason watched Nightwing warily, knowing that he wasn’t prepared to give up easily even if this seemed like only a sparring match to the other man.

                “What do you want, Nightwing?”

                “We want to put a stop to whatever it is you’re doing here,” he said circling around Jason who mirrored his movements. “So much for you not knowing Red, huh?”

                “You never asked me if I knew Red, just if I knew what was going on.”

                “And you said that you didn’t know anything.”

                Robin chose that moment to pounce on Tim and aimed a kick at their head and Jason stiffened, obviously watching. They glided into a backbend, allowing the young crime fighter to go sailing over their head. They straightened, never taking their eyes off the opponent. Tim pulled the collapsible bo staff from their belt and extended it with a flick of the wrist. They took up their stance, staff pointed in Robin’s direction.

                “He’s good,” Nightwing said, noticing Jason’s distraction.

                “They,” Jason automatically corrected.

                Nightwing cocked his head and Jason swore under his breath. “They?” he questioned. “Hmm, interesting pronouns there.”

                Jason aimed a kick to his sternum which was easily blocked. Nightwing threw a punch at Jason’s chest, but he caught the outstretched fist, using the momentum to pull Nightwing toward him with the intent of spinning him and putting him in a chokehold. Nightwing followed the flow of the motion, but slipped under Jason’s arm and elbowed him in the side, forcing Jason away. Jason was distantly aware of how quickly Batman was making his way through the various thugs present, but his attention was harshly divided between his fight with Nightwing and Tim’s fight with Robin.

                Robin ran at Tim, looking to unbalance them with the sudden and swift attack, but they weren’t unnerved by it at all. They followed his movement closely and stepped out of the way sending two quick jabs with the bo to Robin’s collarbone and sternum. Robin growled and stumbled backwards, obviously irritated for having underestimated his opponent.

                “Aww what’s wrong? Too small to play with the adults?” Tim taunted, obviously pleased that they were able to throw him off balance.

                Robin growled. “Please, I am far superior compared to some little _boy_.”

                Tim’s face twisted in anger and he lashed out at Robin’s comment. “I’m not a boy!” He punctuated the statement by sweeping Robin’s feet out from underneath him with a bit more flourish than necessary. They let their staff hover dangeriously close to his throat. “At least, not today.” Robin angrily launched himself to his feet, ready to reassert his attack on Tim after having been taken down once.

                “Well isn’t that interesting,” Nightwing drawled, bringing Jason’s attention back to him. “They/them pronouns for today at least and sometimes they’re a boy.” He grinned. “Care to give us more information, Hood?”

                “Not on your life.” Jason aimed a particularly vicious kick at Nightwing’s sternum, but he danced out of the way easily, reveling in how easily Jason was getting riled up. “Besides, there are plenty of people who go by both sets of pronouns,” he said, taking care not to mention the extent of Tim’s genderfluidity.

                Jason whirled at the sound of Batarangs slicing through the air, staring in horror as Robin aimed three at Tim in quick succession. Jason was shoved to the ground unceremoniously, Nightwing’s weight temporarily having pinned him. Jason watched as Tim ducked and weaved out of the path of the Batarangs, not even allowing them to come close to grazing his skin. He sighed with relief as they landed in a crouch, eyes dangerously focused on Robin. Jason returned his focus to the weight on his back.

                Too late, Nightwing tried to grab hold of Jason’s wrists, but the other man got a hand beneath him and used that and his knee to roll the other man off of his back. Jason scrambled to his feet and ran towards Tim as they forced Robin off balance yet again, forcing him to stumble backwards, but not quite lose his footing. Jason wrapped an arm around their waist and turned to leave when Batman spoke up behind him.

                “Hood.” Jason turned to face him as Nightwing and Robin moved to flank each of his sides. “It’s time to end this.”

                “Sorry,” Tim spoke up, cutting off any reply Jason would have made. “But the only way to end this is for you to join and fight for us to end the crime perpetuated by the scum of the underworld, or…you die.” Jason tightened his hold around Tim, wanting to look at them, but managed to keep his eyes on the trio opposite them.

                “We’ll never join you,” Nightwing snarled, looking hurt underneath the domino mask. “Hood…”

                Jason refrained from saying anything, slightly shocked by Tim’s pronouncement himself.

                “Just wait, you’ll be begging to join me.”

                As Nightwing and Robin broke out in shouts protesting what Tim was saying, Bruce simply watched on, face solemn and calculating. Jason took a steadying breath, before pulling Tim with him away from the remnants of what was supposed to have been a routine drop. He swept the two of them behind the warehouse and practically threw Tim onto the bike. He geared up the motorcycle quickly and tore off into the night, knowing that no one was following, no matter how much they wanted to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooohhhh the plot thickens! 
> 
> Tim fighting with a bo staff is literally my fav. But writing fight scenes are so hard!!!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed that! Feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think and what thoughts were flitting through your mind as you read this. Did my smut make up uncomfortable? Did you laugh? Did the mentions of pizza make you hungry? Were you thinking about tacos? I'd love to hear it!
> 
> If you want to hit me up on Tumblr: tumblr.com/my-one-love-is-music
> 
> <3 MOLIM


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I said this would be the first work that I updated when I got back, but change of plans. Hehe. Japan was awesome for those of you who don't read my other fic and haven't heard. I had so much fun, but it's also good to be able to sit down and write again. (Even if that means wanting to tear my hair out sometimes because the words don't feel right) 
> 
> This chapter is going to be pushing things forward and we'll be reaching the action and climax soon. If you've noticed, I put the final chapter count down. That's still an estimate, but I think it's close to what I'm going to end with. And then I'll be getting started on the sequel to this and after the sequel comes the prequel. wooh! so much writing in store! And on top of that I need to work on my Jaytimweek prompts. I'm really looking forward to all of that though.
> 
> There are some parts to this chapter that I didn't end up being happy with, but it was really nitpicky stuff so I just decided fuck it, I'm going to post it. So, let me know what you think and if the chapter was worth the 3 weeks y'all waited for it. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~MOLIM

                Almost immediately after Jason and Tim returned from the drop that went up in flames, figuratively, not literally, they both shed their uniforms and fell into bed, not caring that they would sleep well into the morning. Jason slept deeply and dreamlessly, not that he was complaining. He preferred that type of heavy sleep to one that left him tossing and turning and hardly rested at all. He was waking up now and he felt incredibly groggy and out of place. He rubbed his eyes and sighed heavily. He was not looking forward to what he was about to do today. Not at all.

                Jason looked over at Tim who was still sleeping soundly. He smiled, hoping that Tim would be able to sleep a bit longer while he was away and didn’t work too hard once he did wake. Things were about to get incredibly dangerous for both of them and if they weren’t careful, who knew what would happen. Jason’s smile disappeared. He knew that Bruce would never have Tim killed. Arkham was another story, though. Jason was sure Tim would survive without a problem, but that didn’t mean that wouldn’t stop some idiot from harping on Tim’s genderfluidity. Jason knew it was a sensitive issue born out of years of misunderstanding and insults from people who thought Tim was making all of it up just to get attention.

                Jason leaned over and kissed the side of Tim’s head before pulling himself out of bed. He groaned as his stiff muscles pulled and flexed underneath his skin. He felt the soreness that had developed overnight from his fight with Dick. Such were the results of him being distracted. Jason scratched his stomach and yawned as he walked into the bathroom. He turned on the water and intended to take a nice warm shower that would hopefully help work out the kinks. Jason stripped off his boxer briefs and stepped under the warm spray, immediately relaxing as the water cascaded over and down his rough skin. He washed himself quickly and shut off the water before a large amount of steam could be produced to fog up the bathroom.

                Jason stepped out of the shower and toweled off before wrapping it around his waist. He walked back into the bedroom, hair still dripping slightly, and found that Tim still asleep in bed. It wasn’t often that Tim was able to get such a large amount of sleep with so much work that needed to be done. He imagined sleep was going to be in an even shorter supply over the coming days and possibly, weeks. Jason walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers, jeans, and a black tee. He dropped the towel from around his waist and dressed quickly and quietly, intent on keeping quiet for Tim. He returned the towel to the bathroom to hang dry before going to the closet to pull out a pair of combat boots and a black leather jacket.

                Jason walked out of the bedroom, giving Tim one last look as he passed by, and into the kitchen. He slung the jacket over the back of one of the chairs and set his boots down on the floor. He walked over to the fridge and pulled the doors open, looking over the contents. Jason pulled out the carton of eggs and a bag of shredded cheese, settling on scrambled eggs and toast. He set the ingredients on the counter and pulled out a bowl and whisk, along with the frying pan and spatula. Jason cracked several eggs into the bowl while the pan was heating up. He made quick work of the cooking and soon enough seated himself with a plate full of food at the table. Jason ate efficiently, but leisurely, not exactly in a hurry, but knowing that he couldn’t stall at home all day.

                Once he was finished, Jason placed his dirty dishes in the sink before sliding into his jacket, finding comfort in the warm leather. He slipped his feet into his boots easily and laced them up swiftly with an almost military precision-like quality. He walked over to the elevator and rode down to the garage to retrieve his bike. Standing there in the garage, however, Jason thought better of taking his personal bike and instead grabbed the keys to one of the other ones that Tim had purchased over the years.

                Jason swung a leg over the machine and twisted the keys in the ignition, bringing the engine to life with a rumble. He let the machine vibrate underneath him as he strapped on a helmet. Replacing his hands on the handlebars, he released the kickstand and revved it once before peeling out of the garage and onto the streets of Gotham. Jason slid through the traffic on the streets easily and made his way to a place he hadn’t been to in a while and thought he wouldn’t be returning to anytime soon.

                Soon enough, the more rundown structures of the shadier parts of town began to transition to the more crowded apartment complexes that many of the middle-class lived in in the middle of Gotham. Just as quickly as they came, the apartments and business buildings fell away to the wealthier neighborhoods. Wrought iron fences rose from the ground like claws to protect large brick estates and mansions. The people who lived there thought they were protecting themselves by locking crime out, when really they were just trapping themselves inside a gilded cage. Thinking of gilded cages, Jason gave Drake Manor a sad look as he passed by. It was hard for him to think of what Tim had to go through growing up there, especially when his partner was questioning ideas of gender and sexuality. He shook himself, knowing it wouldn’t do to dwell on such thoughts when things were already sensitive enough. Instead he turned towards what lay ahead of him.

Jason slowed his bike as he pulled up to the gate guarding Wayne Manor. He hesitated a moment before pressing the buzzer and waiting for a voice to come through. He was nervous at the thought of announcing his presence to Alfred after having avoided coming here for so long and was surprised that the gates opened for him almost immediately. He paused a moment, wary of who let him in, before driving his bike through the groaning gate and up to the front steps. He released his kickstand and pulled the helmet from himself before fitting it into the space underneath the seat. Jason walked carefully up the steps to the Manor and was preparing himself to knock when the front door opened to reveal Dick standing there. The two of them stood there watching each other warily for a few moments.

                “I wasn’t expecting you to stop by any time soon,” Dick said, stepping aside to let Jason in.

                “Yeah, neither was I,” Jason said, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he passed over the threshold.

                Dick led Jason into the living room where they took seats on opposite couches facing each other. Dick sat back and looked unusually serious.

                “What’s going on Jason?” Dick asked, sighing. “What are you _doing_?” He tugged at his dark hair out of frustration.

                “What am I doing? I’m doing what I need to do.”

                “And that means working in the Underworld with someone who’s just threatened Bruce and everything that keeps Gotham from descending into chaos?”

                Jason ran his fingers through his hair exasperatedly. “That declaration from Red was as much a surprise to you as it was to me. I had no idea that possibility was even on the table let alone that it was being considered.”

                “Then help us put a stop to all of this!” Dick said, leaning forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Either you help us end this sooner or we’ll just find out who Red is later and things will get even messier.”

                Jason looked at Dick sharply. “And I’m going to do everything I can to protect Red from you and everyone else.”

                “And what if you can’t protect them? What then, Jason?”

                “I’ll figure something out, okay? I can’t let Red get hurt. Too much has happened already no matter which way you look at it.”

                “All the more reason to end this!”

                Jason growled in frustration. “It’s important to Red! I can’t end this because it’s not up to me and I won’t fight against Red. I promised my support and won’t take that away.”

                Dick’s gaze softened. “It’s more than that, isn’t it? You love Red, don’t you?”

                Jason sighed and said nothing, giving Dick all the confirmation that he needed.

                “You could always stop you know,” Dick murmured. “Drop everything and leave your place in the Underworld. We’d have no reason to hunt you both down then.”

                Jason stood abruptly, fists clenched at his sides. “I told you I can’t do that, Dick. It’s not my decision.” Jason turned away from the other man. “I’m sure I’ll see you around sooner or later.” Jason left tensely, leaving Dick where he was, seated on the other couch. He didn’t know what he expected from the encounter, but he was glad he hadn’t assumed everything would end up being sunshine and rainbows. He pushed through the heavy oak doors and trotted down the steps to where he left the bike.

                Jason pushed his helmet back on more forcefully than necessary and started up the bike again. He gave the Manor one last look before pulling away solemnly and turning back to town. He vaguely heard the gates close behind him, glad to be outside of them for once. He drove as though he was in a daze, not really paying attention to his surroundings or where exactly he was going. Buildings, cars, and people converged in one blur around the edges of Jason’s vision, colors mixing together in a painting of Gotham City life that went unseen. Human chatter, protests from dogs, and car alarms remained an unheard symphony that twisted and turned around his ears. He passed the turnoff that would have taken him home and continued on, intent on making his way down to the bay docks.

                Jason parked his bike where the docks met concrete and left the helmet sitting on the seat. He walked down to the edge of the dock and took a seat, allowing his legs to dangle over the edge and above the water. He stared over the murky water and off into the horizon feeling completely devoid of all emotion. He briefly wondered what threats could be lurking just beneath the surface, but couldn’t bring it in himself to care about the possibility of death.

The day had been a long one and it was only getting later. People were starting to head home from their jobs and the criminals were starting to come out to begin their work. Criminals meant capes and Jason felt exhausted just thinking about it all. How he was once one of the capes before he died and when he came back he met Tim. Tim, who had never been one of the capes, but chose to be on the opposite side. Tim, who had brought Jason in and they’d become so close. Now past and present worlds were colliding. How had things become so complicated so quickly?

                Jason supposed the turn of events shouldn’t have surprised him. Things had never run smoothly in his life for long. He just wished that this time could be different. That he was allowed happiness for a change. After all, it wasn’t every day that he was lucky enough to be dating such a wonderful person. Sure, Tim did have a penchant for being a crime boss which not everyone wanted in a significant other, but it _worked_ for them. Jason didn’t have to hide himself in order to be with Tim and Tim understood him. Scars and all.

                Jason watched the sun slowly dip towards the horizon, turning the sky from its usual hazy blue to a masterpiece of dark orange and purple streaks. The colors swirling together to create an endless image of possibility. Glimpses of stars peeking through the darker violets and blues, but still not having enough force to completely break through. It was sad that they never would entirely either, with the too bright lights of Gotham City that refused to let anything else in. Content to cut itself off from the rest of the world and let crime mount its buildings and streets. Some might find an isolated city terrifying and fear they had no control over their life, but Jason saw it the other way. By being isolated, there was no one but him who knew what his life would bring. He was the one in control of his decisions and life choices. He was the one who determined the outcome.

                Exhausted from all of the thinking he’d been doing, Jason hauled himself to his feet and trudged back to where he left the bike. The sun had almost completely disappeared by now and Jason had places to be and people to see. He gave the bay one last look before climbing on the bike once again. He turned towards the garage and sped off into the darkness.

                Jason left the motorcycle in its prescribed spot and made his way back up to the apartment. He walked in and found Tim seated at the kitchen table working intently on a laptop. Jason shuffled over and looked at the screen. It seemed to be data logs of the work Tim had been conducting over the past several months. Tim looked up at him and smiled.

                “Pronouns?” Jason asked.

                “She/her,” she replied.

                “I have something else to do tonight. I’ll be back in a few hours, okay?” he asked, kissing the top of her head.

                “Sure.” She turned back to her computer and resumed her work without a second thought.

                Jason walked back into their bedroom and changed into his Red Hood uniform. He slipped on one of his red dominoes and tucked his helmet underneath his arm. He gave Tim one last look on his way out, content that she would be fine right where she was and headed back to the garage. He moved to his trusted bike and sat in the familiar seat, hoping it would calm him down somewhat. Shaking himself, Jason put his helmet on and started the machine.

                Jason pulled out onto the streets of Gotham and turned towards one of the more shady districts. He moved quickly now that traffic had cleared out, vehicular and pedestrian alike. No one wanted to be caught out late in Gotham. It didn’t matter if you were rich or poor, there were an equal number of threats for either group and no one wanted to risk it if they didn’t have to. He stowed his bike in one of the more secure alleyways that he used and made his way up to the roof of the closest building. He found a perch, thankfully free of gargoyles, and settled himself in to wait. He’d wait all night if he had to. After all, this was an important meeting to keep.

                It was a warmer night in Gotham which Jason appreciated. Everything was pretty quiet around where he had centered himself. He did, however, hear sirens off in the distance several times, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. They were part of the usual nighttime soundtrack. He wondered if it was this quiet everywhere else in Gotham. If so, that wouldn’t explain why he’d been kept waiting so long. It’s not like it was a secret that he’d gone to visit Dick earlier either. Bruce would at least know about that and seek him out for it. Or Bruce had decided to play with him a bit. Keep him tense and waiting in order to try and draw more information out of him, not that Jason would give anything up willingly.

                Jason was just about to get up and at least stretch his legs when he heard the intentional rustle of fabric behind him. He smirked, wondering how long he’d actually been there and if he just now decided to make his presence known. He looked over his shoulder to find Batman standing on the other side of the rooftop.

                “Well, B,” Jason said, pushing himself to his feet. “I would’ve thought you would’ve come sooner.”

                “You went to the house today.”

                “I did. And I had a very necessary conversation.”

                “About Red.” It wasn’t a question from him.

                “Yes.”

                “He offered you a way out, but you didn’t take it.”

                Jason turned away. “Like I told him, it’s not my offer to take.”

                “You should have.”

                Jason looked at him sharply. “What do you mean?”

                “I mean, I know who Red is.”

                Jason balled his hands into fists. “You can’t possibly know that.”

                “I can. It’s funny how the pieces suddenly fall into place when the smallest slip-ups happen. I got curious after our encounter last night. First, when you were fighting with Nightwing, you said that Red’s pronouns were they/them. Later, when Robin called Red a boy, Red got angry and said they weren’t a boy, at least yesterday anyway.”

                “That doesn’t mean anything. Many people are genderfluid,“ Jason argued.

                “True, but then I remembered something strange that happened at the last Wayne Enterprises gala.”

                “An attack on a gala really isn’t that out of the ordinary.” Jason was fighting himself to stay calm. There was no way he could know. _There was no way._

                “Also true.” Batman paused. “If it weren’t for one exception among the employees attending.” He paused again, seemingly waiting for some reaction from Jason. “When a group of criminals breaks into a gala, wouldn’t you say a normal person’s reaction would be to run in the opposite direction of them?”

                “Yes,” Jason said slowly.

                “In your opinion, it would be strange for someone to move towards the group, correct?”

                The bottom of Jason’s stomach seemed to disappear completely. “Yes.”

                “Precisely. Meaning that a certain Timothy Drake who decided to forego the normal reaction and instead moved toward the group of criminals would be suspicious indeed. And not only that, the fact that they moved towards the group with a sense of familiarity. It was almost as though they were angry at the group for…disobeying orders.”

                “And what do you expect to do with this information? If it’s as correct as you think it is?” Jason tried making his voice as devoid of emotion as possible, but it sounded strange, even to him.

                “I intend to put a stop to what’s happening.”

                “Good luck with that. All you have so far are useless speculations. You don’t have any evidence that the two people are actually connected.”

                Batman didn’t even respond to Jason, he simply turned and disappeared into the darkness like the specter he was. Jason just let him go, wound too tightly from nerves and anxiety and fighting to keep his breathing under control. He waited a few moments, reassuring himself that he was actually alone and could make his way back to Tim without encountering any unnecessary visitors.

                Jason jumped down into the alley below where his bike had been left.  He started it quickly and nearly made the mistake of heading straight back to the apartment without taking a few laps down several side streets and doubling back many times. By the time Jason actually made it back, his nerves had gotten considerably worse and he really just needed to see Tim to make sure she was alive and breathing and there.

                Jason skidded to a stop inside the garage and nearly threw his bike to the side in his haste. He slipped into the elevator quickly and suffered the entire ride back up to the apartment. After the elevator ride from hell, Jason burst out from between the elevator doors, making Tim look up from the kitchen table in shock. He ran over to her and pulled her into his arms.

                “Ugh…Jason?” She asked, clearly confused.

                “Just give me a minute.” He tightened his grip. “Please.”

                Tim moved her hands to Jason’s back and rubbed soothing circles attempting to ease the tension in the man’s shoulders. After several moments, Jason set Tim down. Tim looked up at him and cupped his face in both of her hands.

                “Is there something you need to tell me?”

                Jason nodded and bit his lip. He brought Tim over to the couch and sat down and clutching tightly to her hand as though it were a lifeline. He took several deep breathes to prepare himself for the inevitable discussion ahead of them.

                “I…uh…went to go see Dick this afternoon.” Jason paused and waited until Tim nodded for him to continue. “After the fight last night and everything that happened I felt that I should at least go talk to him.”

                “And what happened?” Tim murmured, squeezing Jason’s hand reassuringly.

                “He thinks I’ve gone crazy for one thing, which, really, isn’t too far from the truth of what the Pit did to me.” Jason cleared his throat nervously. “He also wants me to help them put a stop to this and said that if we just dropped everything they wouldn’t come looking for us.”

                “That’s true. Batman and the rest of the capes don’t normally go against people who aren’t caught in the middle of crime.” Jason nodded in agreement. “So are you going to try and convince me to stop the work that I’ve dedicated myself to for so many years?”

                “I’m going to do whatever you want to do. It’s not up to me to tell you what to do. I’m here to support you. If you want to stop, then we’ll stop and move somewhere else. Start up a new life if need be.”

                Tim nodded. “Okay. Anything else?”

                Jason swallowed thickly and nodded hesitantly. “I ran into Batman tonight.”

                Tim sighed. “Great. What did he want?” she muttered sullenly.

                Jason found he couldn’t speak. His throat had closed up and he gripped Tim’s hand tightly in his own.

                “Jason?” she asked, concerned.

                “He-he knows, Tim.”

                She furrowed her brow. “Knows what?”

                Jason looked over at her, his eyes sad. “He knows who you are.”

                Tim’s eyes widened. “He can’t. He _can’t_ , Jason.”

                “He doesn’t have any concrete evidence. It’s all speculation based on observations, but he knows.”

                “Shit. _Shit!_ ” Tim jumped up from the couch and started pacing. “I never realized that things would start to move this fast. I’m really glad that I started to go through those old logs now.” She laughed bitterly. “I have to start making the paper trail and set things up in the warehouse. I’ll have to get the cargo in storage moved and get my operators out before he shows up.” Tim was getting more excited the more she talked. “It’s finally time to get Batman off my ass for good. I’ve spent so long working towards this that I can’t believe it’s finally happening. Gotham’s mine and I’m done letting those stupid caped crusaders stand in my way.”

                Jason watched Tim as she ranted. “You can’t go back to W.E.”

                “I know. If I go back, I’ll be confronted. If I don’t go back, they’ll know.” She sighed. “I guess that makes my job a little easier. I don’t have to hold their hand so they can put the pieces of my identity together.” Tim turned to look at Jason. “I meant what I said last night.”

                “What?” Jason asked, confused.

                “About killing Batman. I just might have to do it, Jason.”

                Jason dropped his gaze from Tim. “Oh. That.”

                “If I do, will you hate me for it?”

                Jason laughed bitterly and scrubbed his face with his hands. “Honestly? I don’t think that I could ever hate you, Tim.” He looked up and into her eyes. “I love you too much.”

                Tim moved forward and held Jason’s face between her hands. “And I love you.” She kissed him deeply and lovingly, as though there was nothing else in the world that she could want as much as Jason. She rested their foreheads together. “I love you more than you’ll ever know. And I’ll keep loving you. No matter what.”

                Tim pulled back to look at Jason before she gasped. “I have so much work to do!” She pulled her hands back from Jason’s face and made to run back to the kitchen, but Jason snagged her wrist. “Jason! I have to send unencrypted messages and create the trail. There’s so much that has to be done if we’re going to be moving this quickly. I only have a couple of days to make sure that everything runs perfectly.”

                Jason tugged her wrist and pulled Tim into his lap, wrapping her in his muscular arms. “Later,” he said, chuckling. “There’s plenty of time for that later, I promise. And if you’re going to insist on working yourself to death, I’m going to soak up as much of you as I can before the coming days.”

                Tim giggled and snuggled deeper into her boyfriend’s arms. This, being here with Jason, honestly wasn’t a bad alternative to work. She’d do this any day.

Jason sighed, enjoying this moment of peace before things all went to hell as he knew they were going to. He just hoped that it wouldn’t come down to a kill or be killed scenario. He wasn’t about to force the issue, but Jason would prefer it if Tim decided to give all of this up. Yes, she had been working towards it for so long and he didn’t want to fight her over it, but he couldn’t help but wonder if they could be together and happy doing something else. If they could really live a normal life together and just spend their days doing normal things. Work and school. Maybe one of them would even have a dog. Jason could only hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos and comments so far! I really appreciate everyone who's shown an interest in my work, it really means a lot to me. :*
> 
> Gotta love some of the foreshadowing that's going on. 
> 
> If you'd like to hit me up on Tumblr and chat or introduce yourself or whatever, you can find me at my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> Feedback me, please!
> 
> Until next time,
> 
> <3 MOLIM


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the penultimate chapter. God, it's hard to imagine that I've been working towards this point for so long. I was actually planning on having this chapter split up, but then I realized that would make two shorter chapters and I thought, fuck it, we'll just put it all together. And you get some smut in this chap since that hasn't happened in a while. 
> 
> There will be a sequel to this for those of you who care and are interested in what happens next. I have no idea how long the sequel is going to be, so don't ask. It could be a single 10k piece or something longer. IDK. 
> 
> Sorry, it took me so long to get this chapter up. I had a couple of rough days where I was just not writing and the words were not happening because I was exhausted from literally everything. After re-reading this one time I was just like, "Fuck it." and am posting it anyways. So there's a good chance that a couple places are pretty shitty compared to what you're used to, but I was tired of waiting. 
> 
> Special happy birthday to shipping-the-mutants! Thanks for leaving such sweet comments on my fics! :*
> 
> Enjoy, peasants. 
> 
> ~MOLIM

                Tim woke to the sound of his alarm going off. He groaned and rolled out of bed, laughing when Jason grumbled about how he was a workaholic. He leaned over and kissed the side of Jason’s head.

                “Sleep, babe. You don’t have to be up until tonight anyway. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” Tim walked out of their bedroom in nothing but his boxers and lavender shirt. He sat down at the kitchen table and opened his laptop, powering it up.

                Tim opened up his message browser and started fiddling with the code. He took down several layers of security to allow the messages to be accessed and tracked over the internet. He started outlining and dividing tasks among his subordinates. Tim needed one group to go to the warehouse to set everything up for tonight after someone else set up the dummy that was going to be used to trap Batman. He warned everyone to stay away from the warehouse at one in the morning for fear of being beaten to a pulp and/or shot. He did not need idiots that thought they could move up the ladder showing up, even though none of them knew who he was meeting.

                Tim sent off the reminders and task lists to everyone and sat back in his chair for a minute to think. He clicked a few keys and opened up his traffic page on W.E. to look for the code that designated the emails he’d just sent. Tim almost would’ve missed it if he hadn’t been watching for the interaction since it was so quick. Immediately after one of the W.E. computers latched on to Tim’s messages, it encrypted it into the businesses files so others wouldn’t be able to track it down if they were hacking into the system. Or monitoring the system from the inside.

                Tim continued to watch as his subordinates sent responses to his orders and those were encrypted as well. The technology that Bruce was using was definitely impressive and it would’ve taken Tim a lot longer to hack it if he was working from the outside in, instead of being able to access all of the secrets from the inside.

                Tim switched windows and went back to his messaging application to view the responses that had been sent back to him. All of them answered in the affirmative that they knew what they were doing and that everything would be completed on time. None of them knew the full extent of Tim’s plan. Everyone knew he was trying to capture someone, but none of them knew that it was going to be Batman. Tim was also thankful that none of them had quite the knowledge of technology that he had. It was much safer this way since they had no idea that their messages had been latched onto by Bruce and he would know who’s working for him now. Not that any of that would matter after the coming night.

                Tim crossed his arms and smirked. He’d been working towards this for so long and he wasn’t about to let any of the people working for him get excited and completely destroy his plan. Tim was just trying to decide whether or not he wanted to be there when the trap was set when he heard Jason groan in the bedroom. There was the telltale shift of fabric before the older man was walking out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes and scratching at his stomach.

                “Pronouns?” Jason asked around a yawn.

                “He/him.” Jason nodded and walked over to kiss the top of Tim’s head. He looked over his shoulder at the screen in front of Tim that was still open to the messaging system.

                “Getting everything lined up for tonight?”

                Tim nodded and leaned into Jason’s touch as he started to rub his shoulders. “While I’m taking care of things with Bruce on the ground floor, you’re going to be up on the skywalk behind me to make sure that nothing goes wrong.”

                Jason hummed. “Breakfast?”

                Tim looked up at Jason over his shoulder. “Absolutely!”

                As Jason moved away to shift through the various cabinets and the refrigerator to find something to eat, Tim closed out of the programs that were running on his laptop and shut the computer, pushing it out of the way. He got up and walked over to lean on the kitchen island to watch Jason cook.

                Jason had cracked a few eggs in a bowl and was in the process of mixing in milk and vanilla extract. He was heating up two large pans, one was empty and the other was already holding several slices of bacon. Jason had pulled out a loaf of bread and Tim assumed he was making French toast for the two of them. He looked over his shoulder and smiled when he saw Tim standing there watching him.

                It was satisfying, in a way, watching Jason cook. He was so rhythmic about it. Jason would take a slice of bread and dip it in the mixture before throwing it in the pan. As that cooked, he would check on the bacon and flip the pieces that needed a bit more time or take the finished slices and add them to a plate sitting next to the stove. Jason would then move back to the piece of toast that was cooking and flip it, allowing the other side to reach the perfect golden-brown color that he always managed to achieve.

                Before long, Jason had plates piled high with French toast and bacon. He moved the plates over to the table and pulled out a small tray with butter on it and the bottle of syrup. Jason started the coffeemaker and allowed Tim’s coffee to brew while he pulled out two plates and sets of utensils for the two of them. Jason allowed his boyfriend to start eating while he fixed Tim’s cup of coffee and brought it over to the table for him. When Jason finally managed to sit down he found that his plate had already been filled with food. He looked over at Tim and saw him smiling at him, expression full of love.

                The two of them took their time eating, neither really having anything urgent to do that day. Tim just needed to make sure that all of the preparatory work was successful and that he was available to fix any problems should they come up. Jason was free to do whatever he wanted during the day, only needed when Tim had his chat with Bruce.

                Jason bit into a slice of bacon before stretching. “So, you just need me to be on the skywalk tonight?”

                Tim nodded. “Yeah. I think I’ll be able to handle everything on my end. I just need you to be prepared in case anyone else shows up. I wouldn’t think they would because Bruce is the type of person who’d want to handle this situation himself. But there’s always that chance and I need you there to prevent everything from going to shit.”

                Jason nodded. “There’s definitely the possibility that Nightwing or Robin could show up as well, but once Bruce gathers the details, I don’t think he’ll tell either of them where he’s going to be. I’m gonna bet he’ll be going solo on this one.”

                Tim pushed his empty plate away and nodded. “That’s what I’m betting on.” Tim stood and picked up his plate, walking over to the sink with it in hand. He was only half paying attention to the present, lost in thought more so than anything else. Tim set his plate down in the sink and turned on the tap, allowing the water to heat up.

                Jason walked up behind Tim and draped himself over his boyfriend, adding his own plate to the sink. Tim laughed at Jason’s antics.

                “Jaaaay!” he said between giggles.

                “Gravity’s increasing! I can’t fight it!” Jason said putting more of his weight on the other man. Jason grabbed Tim around his stomach and pulled him down to the floor with him. They landed in a gentle heap, Jason cushioning Tim with his body. Tim was outright laughing and struggling to free himself from his boyfriend’s grasp.

                Jason rolled to the side and started tickling Tim’s stomach. The man started laughing even harder, struggling to free himself from his boyfriend.

                “Jay…Jay…stop, please…Jay!” Tim cried between gasps for air.

                Jason grinned. “Sorry, Tim. What was that? Can you repeat that please?”

                Tim struggled to inhale air amidst his laughter. “Fuh…fuck you, Jay.”

                Jason immediately halted his assault and propped himself over where his boyfriend was gasping on the floor. Tim looked up at him, chest heaving and smile wide. Jason returned his grin and leaned down to bring their lips together. The kiss was gentle and tamed. The two reveled in it. Reveled in each other.

                Jason pulled back from the kiss and looked down at Tim. He had a content smile on his face. Jason placed all of his weight on his left arm and brushed Tim’s hair behind his ear with his right hand. Tim nuzzled into the touch, closing his eyes and sighing happily.

                Jason pushed himself to his feet and pulled Tim up with him. He pulled his boyfriend flush against him and claimed his lips in a searing kiss. Jason ran his tongue across Tim’s bottom lip, easily given access. Jason slid one hand into Tim’s hair, tilting his head back to deepen the kiss. He slid his hands down Tim’s body and gripped the backs of his thighs. Jason lifted him and Tim eagerly wrapped his legs around his waist.

                Without pulling their lips apart, Jason walked to the bedroom. He kneeled down on the bed and set Tim down gently on top of the covers. He broke their lips apart and started kissing and sucking down Tim’s neck. He worried the skin between his teeth, making Tim moan. Jason laved his tongue over the red skin, sending shivers down Tim’s body. Tim gasped at the sensations, already feeling himself growing impossibly hard.

                Jason pushed up Tim’s shirt with his right hand. Tim raised his arms over his head and allowed Jason to pull the fabric over his head. Tim’s skin was already flushed and warm. His skin seeking out Jason’s touch. Jason trailed his lips over the newly exposed skin. He nipped and sucked over collarbones, pausing at Tim’s nipples. He sucked one between his lips, rolling it between his teeth and laving at it with his tongue once it became hard, making Tim gasp underneath him.

                As Tim continued to writhe beneath him, Jason moved to the other nipple, repeating the same actions that left Tim a whimpering mess.

                “Jay…” he gasped.

                Jason chuckled. “Patience, Tim. Who knows when I’ll get to have you like this again. Whimpering and panting beneath me. Flushed so pretty and practically begging me for my cock.”

                Tim moaned at the mention of Jason taking him. Jason continued his downward path, kissing down Tim’s stomach until he reached his boxers, Tim’s cock barely restrained by the fabric. Jason hooked his fingers underneath the waistband and dragged the fabric down Tim’s legs and off his body. Jason sat back and dropped the boxers over the edge, allowing his eyes to rove hungrily over Tim’s form. Tim stared at him through half-lidded eyes and spread his legs impossibly wide for Jason.

                Jason stood from the bed and walked over to the bedside table. Tim stared at his back as he pulled a bottle of lube from the bedside drawer. He stood over Tim and pulled down his own boxers, watching as Tim followed every one of his movements, expression hungry once Jason’s dick came into view. He kneeled between Tim’s legs and coated his fingers in lube. He reached down between Tim’s legs and rubbed teasingly at his entrance, making Tim squirm.

                “Jay…please…” he whimpered.

                “I love when you sound desperate for me to fuck you. How bad do you want my cock, Tim? Hmm…tell me.” Jason slid one of his fingers inside, slowly thrusting it in and out.

                Tim groaned. “I want it so bad, Jay. I want you to fill me up in the only way that you’re able to. The way that no one else can.”

                Jason slipped a second finger into Tim and immediately began to scissor his fingers, loosening Tim up for him. Tim reveled in the sensation of Jason. Of having his fingers inside of him. Of being the only one whom Jason loves. Who Jason’s lusted after.

                Tim ground his hips back against Jason’s hand. “Add another, Jay. I’m ready. Please, I need you.”

                Jason claimed Tim’s lips as his own and added a third finger, stretching his entrance that much more. He thrust his fingers slowly, dragging them over Tim’s walls. On one particularly sensual thrust of his fingers, Jason hit Tim’s prostrate, forcing the younger man to break their kiss so he could throw his head back as electricity shot up his spine.

                Once Tim began to move his hips in time with Jason’s ministrations, Jason pulled his fingers from Tim’s entrance and grabbed the bottle of lube. He poured a liberal amount on his hand and spread it over his dick. Jason use his right hand to shift Tim’s leg over his shoulder and positioned himself at his entrance. He pushed in slowly, moving forward inch by torturous inch.

                Tim sighed as Jason seated himself fully, their hips flush against each other. Jason started to move, picking up a relaxed pace at first. Allowing both of them to feel every inch of skin that moved together. Not wanting to rush the time that they still had. With every roll of his hips, Jason drew breathy gasps and moans from his boyfriend.

                Jason increased his pace, developing a steady rhythm that gave them both the friction they needed, but wasn’t enough to bring either one of them to orgasm. Tim squirmed, wanting-needing-more from Jason. His boyfriend complied, slinging his other leg over his shoulder and changing the angle. On Jason’s first thrust, he immediately brushed over Tim’s prostrate. Tim gasped. His moans growing in intensity as Jason thrust into him relentlessly.

                Tim scrambled for purchase, fisting his hands in the sheets. His back arched from pleasure and gasps tore out of his chest. He felt the muscles in his stomach tighten and knew that it wouldn’t take much more for him to come.

                “Jay…Jason…I’m close. I’m gonna…” Tim cut himself off with a moan.

                Jason increased his pace to something almost brutal, encouraged by Tim’s words. “Come for me, Tim.” He leaned over his boyfriend and brushed his lips over his ear. “Come for me, Babygirl.”

                Tim shuddered at the pet name. His stomach tightened that much more. Jason kissed and sucked at his neck. He bit down roughly just below Tim’s jaw in time with one of his thrusts and Tim was a goner. With a shout, Tim was painting his stomach white and clenching tightly around Jason. Jason groaned at the pressure around his cock. He got a few more thrusts in before he was following Tim, filling him up deliciously full with his come.

                Jason buried his face in Tim’s neck, panting from the exertion of his orgasm. Tim lay there unmoving, completely dazed from the amount of pleasure he’d just experienced. Jason eased out of Tim and pushed himself up so he was hovering over Tim. Tim stared up at him, a lazy smile on his face, content and sated. Jason gave him a quick kiss before crawling off the bed.

                Jason walked into the bathroom and wet a washcloth before returning to Tim. He wiped Tim’s stomach free of come and dabbed at what was sliding out of his entrance. Once he was all cleaned up, Jason pulled Tim under the covers and cradled him against his chest. Tim snuggled into Jason’s embrace and sighed happily. It only took a few moments for the two of them to fall into a contented slumber.

                Tim groaned as he came back to consciousness and shifted around in Jason’s grasp. He looked at the clock and saw how late it had gotten. Tim tried to extricate himself from Jason’s grasp but his boyfriend only clung to him tighter.

                “Noooo…Tim, don’t go.” Jason rubbed his face across Tim’s back, much to his boyfriend’s amusement.

                Tim giggled. “Jason I have to get up.” He patted Jason’s arms where they were wound around his stomach. “We have to go to the warehouse before it gets too late.”

                Jason sighed and placed a kiss between Tim’s shoulder blades. “Fine. Let’s go.” Jason released Tim and scooted out of bed. Tim followed quickly. The two men moved into the walk-in closet and picked up the various pieces of their uniforms. They dressed in silence, but Jason was unashamed to watch Tim as he squeezed into his tight black pants. Tim caught him staring and smirked at him.

                “Don’t worry. You can undress me later.” Jason stalked over to Tim as he pulled the black long-sleeve shirt over his head. He caged the younger man in with his arms.

                “You better believe that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Jason leaned down and brushed his lips against Tim’s before moving away. Tim grumbled protests towards his back that had Jason chuckling. Jason shrugged on his leather jacket and bent over to slip his boots on.

                Tim grabbed a domino mask and his belt before he left Jason to finish putting all his gear on. He moved into the bathroom and looked in the mirror as he carefully placed the domino over his eyes. Tim unclasped his belt and slung that around his hips before buckling it again. He felt the new weight of the handgun that he would need for the night on his hip. He had to be prepared for everything after all.

                Tim walked out of the bathroom to find Jason waiting for him next to the elevator. He joined him and the two rode the elevator down to the basement. Jason grabbed the keys to the black Jaguar and strode over to the car where Tim was already waiting inside. He slid into the leather seat and turned the key in the ignition, allowing the car to rumble to life. He revved it once before screeching out of the garage and onto the streets of Gotham once more, immediately turning and heading towards the docks.

                The drive was a short one and Jason parked the car behind the warehouse where everything was going to take place. Before Jason could even shut off the ignition, Tim was out of the vehicle and striding towards the side door. Jason hurried after him and padlocked the door after entering. Bruce was pretty predictable in that he’d enter through the ceiling windows onto the opposite skywalk, but they’d be damned if any form of precaution would be overlooked that could ruin everything.

                Tim was pleased to see that all of his men had cleared out after finishing the set-up. He was not about to deal with any stragglers. Especially on a night like this. Almost all of the lights were out aside from the security lamp next to the door they’d come through that shone as a spotlight into the middle of the room. There, encapsulated in the ray of light, sat a dummy.

                Tim kept his distance knowing exactly what lie underneath the seemingly harmless skin. It had been built to resemble himself. Slim shoulders, black hair, and confident stance all hid the trap that was underneath. It was triggered to latch chains onto the victim’s wrists and ankles, pulling the person spread eagle with no hopes of accessing any weapon or somehow cutting through the lines. The ropes were similar to the material that Batman himself used for his lines. Only Bruce would know how to cut through the wire, but Tim would have him in such a position that he wouldn’t even be able to reach for a knife.

                Tim smirked. If all went according to plan, Batman wouldn’t even have to touch the dummy. The area around it was triggered to sense any shift in weight or slight movement. Tim was forever grateful that he actually had some competent people working for him and they didn’t get tangled up in the trap themselves while setting it.

                Tim turned and sauntered over to where Jason was leaning up against the wall.

                “Everything’s good here. Now we just have to wait. You can head on up and I’ll flip off the security light. Do you have the AK?”

                Jason pointed up. “Set up and ready to go, Babygirl.”

                Tim looked up and saw where the end of the rifle peeked over the edge of the skywalk and smiled. “Perfect.”

                Jason pulled off his helmet and leaned down, giving Tim one last kiss. “Knock ‘em dead.”

                Tim watched as Jason replaced his helmet and made his way towards the ladder that would take him up to the metal walkway. He turned and flipped the switch, letting darkness swamp the area. Tim stood back and let his eyes adjust. He shouldn’t have long to wait. Everything that he’d planned so far had been leading up to this point.

                Tim thought briefly of what would happen after this. Of how he would wake up the next morning with either the vigilante on his side or a dead bat. Of what waking up to that was going to be like and how he was going to proceed. He was sure that Nightwing and the other capes would probably come after him. Tim supposed that this was going to be a process of weeding through the rest of them. Maybe he’d get lucky and they would either give up or join him. After all, if he could take down Batman, then who was strong enough to resist?

                Tim saw movement behind the window and stared at it intently. Nothing moved for a few moments and he thought he’d imagined it until the window was pushed open and a figure slid through. Tim grinned as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He saw Batman look around and was glad that he was hidden in the shadows and wouldn’t have to face him yet.

                Tim knew the exact moment when his eyes locked on the dummy. Without a moment’s hesitation he leapt from the skywalk he was perched on and aimed himself for the dummy. Immediately upon landing in front of the stuffed figure, the manacles released and snagged his wrists and ankles, pulling them tight. It was a bit of a sight actually, Batman utterly helpless in the middle of a warehouse. Really, he should be smarter than that.

                Tim flipped on the security light and illuminated the scene before him. He walked forward easily, not terrified in the slightest to get up close and personal with the man. Tim could feel Batman’s eyes on him through the cowl. He reached out and undid the man’s utility belt, chucking it off to the side and out of reach.

                “I wasn’t expecting you to fall for that so easily,” Tim said and pouted a bit. “But I guess even the infamous Batman isn’t as sly as many think him to be.”

                “What do you want?” he growled in response.

                Tim grinned and stepped back. “I told you before what I want. I want you to join me and follow me as I rule Gotham through the Underworld. Or,” he pulled out his gun and aimed it at Batman’s head. “You die.”

                Batman struggled against his bonds. “I could never join you. You’ve been polluting Gotham with your crime. It’s inexcusable.”

                Tim tsked. “Polluting? I’ve been reigning in the crime that’s overrun this city. And people think you’ve been doing such a wonderful job. It’s laughable, really. I’ve done more in a few weeks than you’ve managed to in years. And you still had no idea that I was hiding right under your nose. Working for you. Working on the tech in your R&D department. It’s pathetic.”

                The tendons in Batman’s arms became taught. “You’ve done nothing but perpetuate crime and kill people.”

                Tim waved the accusation away. “I do what needs to be done. Yes, crime has continued, but in a controlled fashion. Drug dealers aren’t selling to kids. The criminals aren’t raping women anymore and if they do…they wind up dead. I have eyes on everyone who works for me. The only reason you’re here right now, is because I want you to be.”

                “Timothy Drake,” he growled.

                Tim rolled his eyes even though he knew no one could see. “Oh, bravo. I should applaud you really. You’ve found out my identity. Not like it matters at this point. And making large pronouncements isn’t going to get you out of this, so what’s it going to be? Are you going to join me? Or are you going to die?”

                “I’ll never join you,” he spat.

                “Pity,” Tim said, staring hard at Bruce and aiming the handgun in his grasp.

                A shot tore through the air and hit its target with deadly precision, leaving the last remnants of the gun’s echo to reverberate and slowly die in the warehouse. Dawn would be a dark one once it arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you just love cliffhangers? I do. *cue evil laughter* 
> 
> I seriously can't believe that I'm about to finish my first multi-chap fic. This should probably be more exciting than I'm feeling right now, but I'm exhausted so I don't really care. 
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with me this long! <3 I love the feedback that I've gotten and would love some more, so please leave some comments for me to obsess over and respond to. 
> 
> If you want to come harass me on tumblr: my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> You can see me complain about writing, sometimes I post previews of updates, and I might do teasers of my jayTim week stuff as well. So if you're interested in that, be sure to check what I'll be posting on here come August 1. I can tell you that the first prompt ended up being a 10K so there's that. 
> 
> See you next update! 
> 
> <3 MOLIM


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it. The last chapter of We're Immortals. I cannot believe this is happening right now. I just hope you like the ending as much as I do. Which leads me to...
> 
> I KNOW Y'ALL ARE GOING TO HATE ME, BUT THERE IS A SEQUEL COMING!!! THERE IS A SEQUEL!!!!! THERE IS A SEQUEL!!! IF YOU DON'T READ ANY OF MY OTHER NOTES-NOTE THAT THERE IS A SEQUEL!!!! 
> 
> This chapter is also super short which is why it's getting published a lot quicker than the other ones. I just had to tie up the loose ends after that last cliffhanger. 
> 
> TW: Suicide
> 
> Okay...all right...so...enjoy the last chapter of We're Immortals my dear readers. The ending of my first multi-chapter fic.
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Jason jolted awake. He looked around him, startled as to where he was and experiencing a moment of anxiety. Quickly, he recognized the bed he was in and the room around him. He was back in bed in their apartment, but he didn’t remember how he got there. Jason just shrugged it off as stress and exhaustion from the night before. He sat up and looked down when an arm snaked around his waist.

                “Morning,” Tim mumbled up at him. “He/him pronouns.”

                Jason smiled down at his boyfriend and smoothed back his hair with a hand. “Morning. How are you feeling?”

                “Like I got shot.”

                Jason frowned. “What do you mean?”

                “I just don’t feel very well. Plus, I’m a little sore from our encounter with Nightwing and Robin.”

                “What are you talking about? I don’t remember that.”

                Tim frowned and sat up. “Did you get hit harder than we thought? It happened after we left Batman dead in the warehouse. They attacked us as we were leaving and we had to fight them off. They’re not dead if that’s what you’re worried about, but we’re definitely going to be confronting them in the future.”

                Jason rubbed his head and sat back. “Maybe I did hit my head, because I don’t remember that at all. I should probably take it easy today.”

                Tim smiled and leaned over to give Jason a kiss on the cheek. “You just relax here and I’ll go make you some breakfast.”

                Jason watched as Tim walked out of their bedroom. He really had no idea how he could forget something like that, but it could be that Tim’s right and he just hit his head. Jason put several pillows behind him and leaned back. He grabbed the remote and turned on the T.V. The news channels had no mentions of Batman’s death. Not that they would with Nightwing and Robin around. The two of them were most likely going to cover up his death and Dick would take over as Batman until Damian’s old enough. They did have a story running about how Bruce Wayne had died. At least there was that.

                Jason sighed and threw the remote to the side. He got lost in thought thinking about everything that had happened. They would definitely need to decide how to proceed after this. How were they going to move forward? Jason guessed that they would work on gaining more vigilante allies or taking them out as well. Strengthening what they’d already created and build on it.

                Jason looked up as Tim walked back into the room with a tray of food in hand. He smiled at the other man. Tim handed the tray to Jason and crawled back in the bed. Jason put an arm around his waist and pulled Tim next to him. He looked deeply into those Pegasus blues that he loved so much. Tim smiled back at him and leaned forward to give him a kiss. Jason tilted his head and moved to connect their lips-

                Jason jolted awake, chest heaving. He looked around himself and buried his face in his hands. He was in one of the guest rooms at the Manor and he remembered exactly how he got there. Before Jason could even think about stopping it, the tears had welled up and he was openly sobbing. He wiped furiously at his face, determined to slow his crying as best as he could.

                Jason flung the covers back and climbed out of the bed once his sobs had devolved to hiccups. He walked over to the dresser where he’d left his uniform from the night before. He slowly suited up again, knowing that he had a meeting to get to. And he really didn’t feel like making Bruce wait.

                Jason walked out of the room. It was still early. He’d only gotten a few hours of sleep and the sun wasn’t even up yet, meaning Bruce was probably still in the Cave. Jason trudged down the stairs slowly, wallowing in his own misery for the time being. He knew that he was a horrible person, but this was the icing on the cake for his shit show of a life really. He’d never be able to come back from this and he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to.

                Once he got to the Cave, he saw Bruce sitting at the monitors. Jason honestly didn’t know if he could make it the last few feet to actually talk to the man. He sighed and moved forward reluctantly, until he was standing off to Bruce’s side.

                “Jason,” Bruce said, turning in his chair.

                “Bruce,” Jason said, scrubbing at his face.

                Bruce sighed. “I know the situation isn’t ideal, but-“

                “Isn’t ideal?! Of course it’s not fucking ideal! I shot my fucking boyfriend…girlfriend…partner-ugh!” Jason ran his hands angrily through his hair.

                “I know and you kept him from shooting me. I don’t entirely agree with how you dealt with the situation, but I’m proud of you for doing the right thing.”

                “Proud of doing the right thing?” Jason’s eyes welled with tears once again and they quickly spilled over. “How can you say such a fucked up thing? I killed Tim. I killed the person I love and I don’t even know how to refer to them because I don’t know what their pronouns would be today! I loved him so much. How can you say you’re proud of me when all I wanted to do was live with Tim and try to have a life?”

                “The two of you lost your chance at a normal life when you decided to partake in criminal activity.”

                “That doesn’t make it hurt any less,” Jason whispered.

                “Pain fades with time, Jason.”

                Jason laughed bitterly and turned away from Bruce. “This is probably the last you’re going to see of me. At least for a while.”

                “I understand if you need to leave town. I’ll be here when you get back.” He turned back to the monitor.

                Jason’s mouth twisted into a sneer and shook his head. “Goodbye, Bruce.” Jason walked over to where he left his bike the night before when he rode to the Manor. He pulled on his helmet and slung a leg over the machine. Jason started it quickly and tore out of the garage, leaving Bruce and his past behind. He directed himself to the dock and the warehouse that they’d been in the night before.

                The ride was a quick one since there weren’t many other people up and certainly no one was out driving this early. Jason parked his bike next to the warehouse and threw off his helmet. He pulled out his grapple gun and shot it to the roof, pulling himself up. He tossed the gun to the side and looked out over the horizon.

                “I’m sorry.” The tears started flowing down his face once again. His emotions were so overwhelming and he had no hope of quelling them. “I’m so sorry, Tim. Please believe me when I say that I love you. You were the best thing that ever happened to me and I couldn’t imagine anyone being more perfect.” He took a shuddering breath. “I’m coming for you, Babygirl. I won’t let you be alone. I won’t abandon you. I’ll find you and I’ll never let you go.”

                Taking a deep breath, Jason pulled out one of his guns and held it up to his head. He closed his eyes, resigned to the fate he’d created for himself. “I’m coming, Tim. I’m coming for you.” He gently squeezed the trigger.

                Just as the sun crested the horizon a gunshot rang out like a death knell in the early morning, matching its twin from the night before. It left nothing but a yearning, mournful silence of what could’ve been had they led different lives. The possibility that they could’ve lived together and been happy just being together. It echoed everything that they’d already been through. The pain Jason experienced when he first came back to life and how Tim managed to calm him down. How Jason had just lusted after Tim in the beginning, assuming that it was completely one-sided, but it wasn’t. How the two of them had come together and developed a relationship from mutual attraction.

Anything had seemed possible between the two of them and it still seemed that way, even up to the very end. Maybe, just maybe, the two of them would meet in another life. A happier life. They’d made happiness for themselves in this one, but life had not been happy, or kind, towards them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, if you didn't listen to me in the first set of notes:
> 
> THERE IS A FUCKING SEQUEL OKAY! I KNEW THERE WAS GOING TO BE A SEQUEL WHEN I STARTED WRITING THIS BECAUSE I KNEW HOW IT WAS GOING TO PLAY OUT!
> 
> God, I'm getting all emotional. My fic's all grown up. :'( 
> 
> I've been super pleased with the response that I've gotten for this and I'm happy that all of you have stuck with me through these crazy past few months. I really appreciate all of the kudos and comments that y'all have left. They really mean a lot to me. So if you want to do it one last time, that would be fantastic. :)
> 
> I really can't put into words how much I love all of you for being here with me. I'm just really thankful. So thank you! 
> 
> If you want to come see what I'm up to --> my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> Love you all! <3
> 
> MOLIM

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments appreciated.
> 
> I'll see you next time.
> 
> <3
> 
> MOLIM


End file.
